Are training and legal supplements enough to get to the top? Is success possible without drugs? I asked a few armwrestlers this, and a few other naïve questions. Not everyone was willing to speak openly on the subject.

That’s a difficult subject – said one.

It’s a matter of interest for many people, but I don’t want to discuss this publicly – said another. – Drugs have their pros and cons, but these days speaking of the pros is asking for trouble. Some people, when they hear the word “drugs”, picture hell and the devil, so it’s better to stay quiet.

Other sportspeople were more candid.

In my opinion, supplements and a good diet will get you very far – says Patryk Weterle. – You just need a lot of knowledge to properly balance your diet and supplements in order to get the full benefits from them without hurting your body. A good example can be my entrance in this year’s Polish Championships, 6 medals – 3 gold and 3 silver.

In Dariusz Groch’s opinion, a lot can be done without drugs, and even supplements.

Last championship I got very close to the top without using any supplements – says Groch.- So I think that with supplements it could only get better.

For Janek Żółciński, the person who got very far on hard work and supplements only, is the current Polish national champion and a 2012 European brown medalist, Mariusz Podgórski.

Only hard work and sacrifice will get you to the top – says Janek. – The more time you sacrifice to better yourself, the better you will be. Each of us is unique, different. I think nothing is impossible in sport. There are more and less talented people, as well as those who work hard and those who are slacking. When you combine a talented person with hard, well directed training, you can get very far.

In Patryk Weterle’s opinion, we will never get as far without drugs as some bodybuilders from other countries. But he won’t name any names. And he’s not the only one who won’t. Drugs are a taboo, states Anders Axklo – in no strength - based sport is it possible to avoid the subject, and you shouldn’t. But … Anders also won’t name any names.

Although nothing can be proven without testing, I’m not going to play dumb – says Axklo. Of course, some people can boast great genetics. A change in training regime or a diet switch can also bring about great results. There are many ways to explain a rise or fall in someone’s form. But let’s call a spade a spade …

Oh yes! We’re all very careful when it comes to drugs. We condemn their use, we try not to judge those whom we suspect of using. We give them right to do as they wish.

If someone wants to risk their health and life, let them – says Żółciński. – We are all free, we all have a choice, both those who use drugs and those who don’t.

And yet, when a contestant is finally caught using drugs, we have no mercy for them. This was the case with Arsen Liliev, who’s nomination to become the face of PAL caused an uproar in the armwrestling community. Arsen, despite his many achievements, was dropped on the spot, and many hungry vultures lunged at the chance of a free meal.

You promote drug-free style of life, and yet you promote a man who was caught using – wrote one reader under an article entitled “Arsen Liliev for the face of PAL”. – That’s not fair.

Junky – that’s how Arsen was referred to in a Russian version of the article.

To make matters clear – everybody’s innocent until proven otherwise – says Axklo. – That means you can’t accuse someone of taking drugs, until a test is run and the result is positive.

And yet .. In a comment under Artur Grigorjan’s article, citing Terence Opperman “Cyplenkov has no worthy opponent”, Mietek writes :

Sure, it’s great to juice up and play a sport – the more pumped up, the better. I can’t help but wonder, why mister C… is still in the sport, as well as some other people. You can see the change for the better, but it’s still too slow. It’s enough to notice how some jaw lines got wider and wider over the years.

Piotrr suggests in his post, that some contestants avoid competitions with drug testing on purpose.

Drug testing should be mandatory on such events, as Nemiroff or A-1. There should be no cases of contestants do not enter events in their own countries, or events with drug testing, but choose instead the type of contest where there is no testing and they can make huge amounts of money.

We’re all against performance enhancing drugs. Everyone is clean until proven otherwise, we say. And despite that we still talk behind the back of certain people of their drug use. Why is that, if nothing has been proven?

Iza Małkowska