VOA标准英语2010年-Hair Loss Motivates US Skeleton Racer

USA skeleton competitor Zach Lund poses for a portrait during the USOC Media Summit in Chicago. Lund was suspended for a year and booted from the 2006 Turin Olympics because of a hair-growth product that at the time contained a banned substance. He's now aiming for gold in Vancouver, and kicked his training into high gear. (AP Photo/Skip Stewart, File)

American Zach Lund, 30, has for years been one of the best luge and skeleton racers in the world.  But in 2006 his talent and chance for Olympic gold were suddenly overshadowed by his thinning hair.  VOA's Jim Stevenson has this profile of Lund, and his unusual journey to clear his name and seek another chance at Olympic glory.

 Zach Lund is eager to prove that he is the best - not to himself, but to everyone else.  "To me in my heart, I know I am an Olympian.  I know what I have accomplished¹ already.  If you ask me right now I say, 'Yes, I am.'  Am I, officially?  No," Lund said.

After 54 years, skeleton returned to the Olympics in 2002, and athletes again braved the dangers of sliding head first on a small, simple sled at numbing² speeds down a long and twisting track of ice.  A former luge competitor, Zach Lund barely missed being a part of the U.S. Skeleton Team that year.  But before the 2006 Games in Turin, he was the best U.S. chance for gold as the world's top ranked slider.

Lund was finally on the sport's biggest stage, only to miss his opportunity by a whisker, or more appropriately, by the remaining hair on his head.

Lund had tested positive for finasteride, a substance that was in the hair restoration product he was using.  He was unaware³ it had been added to the list of prohibited substances in 2005, and said he had declared its use on the doping control form he submitted for every drug test.

Because finasteride was considered a steroid masking agent, Lund was given a one-year suspension by the Court of Arbitration⁴ for Sport.  The decision came just before the Turin Opening Ceremonies.  With no immediate⁵ recourse, Lund voluntarily surrendered his Olympic credential and left the Olympic Village after an unsuccessful appeal.

Canadian Dick Pound was the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at the time, and Canada had several top skeleton racers.  Lund believes motivations other than doping enforcement may have led to his ouster.

"I happened to be number-one in the world," he recalled.  "And it happened to be a few people behind me were of a certain nationality.  And with me out of the way, it makes sense.  And it so happens that country won gold and silver.  That is why I feel it happened."

The CAS panel of three arbiters⁶ appeared sympathetic with his argument and said it was "entirely⁷ satisfied that Mr. Lund was not a [drug] cheat."  But WADA stressed that athletes are responsible to know what substances are on the prohibited list.

Lund continued to fight his case.  While he says the process is still far from perfect, some change has come as a result of his situation.

"So at least now, if someone is taking something and they do not know it like I was, at least know they will get a phone call," he explained.  "Because if I got a phone call that year that said 'this is in your form, but it is not coming up on your test.  That is illegal.  You need to stop.'  Then this would have never happened."

Lund was determined⁸ to regain⁹ his competitive stature¹⁰.  He won the World Cup overall title in 2007 by claiming four of eight races and setting the track record at the Olympic course in Turin exactly one year after his ordeal¹¹ began.

Then in 2008, finasteride was removed from the list of banned substances.  Instead of celebrating, Lund's anger grew because he felt the anti-doping agency had not done its job in the first place.

"That was a huge kick in the gut¹² last year," he added.  "To know in my heart that I was not going to cheat.  To know that I made an honest mistake.  To know that I did nothing wrong.  I won my case, but I still had those certain people in the media who still say that, 'He is a cheater.'"

Even with finasteride no longer banned, the sting of accusations¹³ lingered and dominated his thoughts.  Lund asked WADA to clear his record.  But he says his request was ignored, and he subsequently lost interest in racing¹⁴.  His world ranking plummeted¹⁵.

Eventually, with a close friend's encouragement, Lund began training hard again.  He is currently near the top 10 in the world standings.  And he has shaved his head.  Gone with his hair is the vanity that led to his unintended journey. 

Zach Lund is ready for the Vancouver Olympics.  His ultimate vindication¹⁶ may come from winning a medal in Canada, or simply from the knowledge that by competing he is a true Olympian.

 

1 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

2 numbing   

adj.使麻木的，使失去感觉的v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Watching television had a numbing effect on his mind. 看电视使他头脑麻木。
• It was numbing work, requiring patience and dedication. 这是一种令人麻木的工作，需要有耐心和忘我精神。 来自辞典例句

3 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

4 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 arbiters   

仲裁人，裁决者( arbiter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the forensicfield, the final arbiters of quality are the courts. 在法医学领域，质量的最后仲裁者是法庭。
• They are, increasingly, arbiters of which types of borrowers get credit. 它们正越来越多地充当决定哪几种借款人可获得信贷的裁决人角色。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

10 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

11 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

12 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

13 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

14 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

15 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 vindication   

n.洗冤，证实

参考例句：

• There is much to be said in vindication of his claim.有很多理由可以提出来为他的要求作辩护。
• The result was a vindication of all our efforts.这一结果表明我们的一切努力是必要的。