Alex Schwazer

Alex Schwazer, born on December 26, 1984, is an Italian race walker. He became well-known for winning the 50k walk event at the 2008 Olympics.

However, just before the 2012 Summer Olympics, Schwazer was disqualified for two years after testing positive for a banned substance. He admitted to this mistake and decided to stop competing. Later, he began training again with Sandro Donati, a strong voice against unfair practices in sports. They aimed to show that it was possible to succeed without using banned substances.

Schwazer worked hard and qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but he was disqualified again for another positive test. He argued that he was not guilty and fought the decision through many legal steps, but these efforts did not change the outcome. In 2021, an Italian court cleared him of any wrongdoing, leading to claims that the organizations against unfair practices may have acted unfairly. Despite this, Schwazer’s disqualification remains in place, and he continues to challenge it.

Biography

Alex Schwazer was born in Sterzing, South Tyrol, in northern Italy. He won a bronze medal in the 50 km race at the 2005 World Championships and another bronze at the 2007 World Championships. In 2008, he became the Olympic champion in the 50 km walk at the 2008 Summer Olympics, setting a new Olympic record.

Schwazer started 2010 by winning two races on the 2010 IAAF World Race Walking Challenge circuit. At the 2010 European Athletics Championships, he won a silver medal in the 20 km race. In 2012, he began strongly with an Italian record win in a 20 km walk and followed it with another big win shortly after.

Doping cases

Alex Schwazer was not allowed to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics because a test showed he had used something to improve his performance unfairly. He said he made a mistake and that his career was over. Because of this, he was banned from competing for three and a half years.

Later, in 2016, another test showed he had used a special hormone to improve his performance. He tried to challenge this, but the decision was upheld, and he was banned for eight years. Because of these issues, some of his past results were removed, including an Italian record he had set in Lugano. Schwazer was not able to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games because of these bans.

Media

In 2023, Netflix made a four-part show about Schwazer's doping issue. That same year, he joined the seventeenth season of Grande Fratello, which is the Italian version of Big Brother.