All about Povetkin positive doping tests for Meldonium from an expert on doping

Gabriel Montoya, who along with Thomas Hauser is considered to be the best expert on doping among journalists writing about boxing, held a conference on Twitter, where he answered to the main questions about the positive doping sample of Russian heavyweight boxer Alexander Povetkin for the banned drug meldonium (mildronate):

Q: Is meldonium another doping from 90’s?

A: Nope. Meldonium (Mildronate 500mg) is a modern doping like EPO. And test for meldonium is qualitative rather than quantitative. There is no permissible limits - you either take it or not.

Q:What are the benefits of Mildronate (Meldonium) (for athlete, who takes it)?

A: Meldonium increases blood flow, reduces the recovery period. For the endurance athlete is worth weight in gold. If you are wondering why the team did not want Povetkin VADA tests and tried to delay their start, today's events can be clue. And I'll be very surprised if someone says that Povetkin ate meat, poisoned with meldonium. It will be something new.

Q: The news is not surprising. Sad, now that you can not trust anyone, not even those who are conducting the tests.

A: I trust WADA.

Q: How is this different from the situation with Vargas clenbuterol ? Can Meldonium ingested by accident, such as "eating meat"?

A: As far as I know, nope. They tell me that Povetkin's team claims that he took Meldonium until January, because of which it traces were detected in doping tests in small quantities. But the problem here is that, according to my information, the previous three Povetkin samples were negative. And if Povetkin took meldonium before its ban in January, if he knew that WADA sent a warning to athletes about the impending ban?

Q: If Povetkin took meldonium before the start of the ban, whether it could be detected in the test at the end of April?

A: I really doubt it. And the question still is, how he took Meldonium - oral or injection? Mildronats pills excrete about three times faster.

Question: If WADA had no problems with this thing for years, and doctors are not sure how much Meldonium helps, then ... How much it helps?

A: Ask more than one hundred and fifty athletes, who were caught since January.

Question from Cliff Rold: You know better than me - even if Povetkin took Meldonium to its ban, if it is still in the body, can be some benefit from Mildronate?

A: Rather, the benefits would be those benefits that he had received in the training process - it wil remain after cycle.

Q: 70 nanograms allowed by WADA rules.

A: Read the article to which you are referring to - are not allowed.

Question from Russian fan: Traces of the drug, which was not banned, and variations which are still legal and used by American athletes. Please stop dramatize!

A: Ask the guys, whom Povetkin knocked out, taking Meldonium, whether it is just a dramatization?

Q: Meldonium has been legal in all these fights.

A: And then Meldronete was banned because people realized what was happening, and then more than 170 athletes were caught, so what's the question?

Again, the question from Russia: So you can ban vitamin C and Protein. They also make you stronger and help in training.

A: Wow. What intellectual arguments!

Q: So, do you want to punish people for something legal?

A: No, I want to block people (on Twitter) for dullness and annoying.

Then Gabriel Montoya asks two rhetorical questions: 1) Why the healthy athletes are taking heart medicines? 2) even if the EPO was not banned in Las Vegas during the rematch fight Mosley - De La Hoya, is it normal that Mosley took this drug?