Search
shop

“Drugs are bad” – Leon Chevalier explains simple message on doping in long-course triathlon

Leon Chevalier discusses doping after the men's IRONMAN World Championship
Staff Reporter
Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

Leon Chevalier, fifth in front of his home crowd at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice on Sunday, used the platform of triathlon’s biggest race to share an important message about doping in sport.

The 26-year-old sported a “Drugs Are Bad” T-shirt at the pre-race press conference on Friday, and three days later he would reveal the origins of the shirt and why he decided to wear it, with the 26-year-old taking a firm stance on drug cheats in long-course racing.

Asked by journalist Tim Heming at the post-race press conference about the T-shirt and doping in general, Chevalier said before the Collin Chartier doping scandal earlier in the year, he had been a little naive on the subject.

Advertisement

Humour and a strong message

Chevalier revealed that he had bought the top on the Las Vegas Strip after last year’s IRONMAN World Championship in St George and had been wanting to wear it to a press conference ever since. That moment came last Friday.

The press conference at the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice.
[Photo Credit – Donald Miralle for IRONMAN]

“I was coming back from St George last year at the IMWC and we had a stopover in Las Vegas and I was just walking around on the Strip and found this T-shirt and I thought that’s quite funny. I’ve wanted to wear it to press conferences for a while, but this is quite a big press conference and I don’t do many of them, so I thought it would be quite funny.

“Obviously this year we have had one big doping case in triathlon and unfortunately, I think I was a little naive, as I thought the sport was generally clean, as in the short time I’ve been in long-distance triathlon I’ve been able to get pretty close to the top.

“For me, that showed it’s realistic to get to the level of performance we see, so it’s a shame people feel the need to take shortcuts to win races and I got a lot of positive feedback for wearing that T-shirt. If it shows people that we as the athletes don’t want drugs in the sport then that can only be a good thing.” 

Tomos Land
Written by
Tomos Land
Tomos Land is a triathlon & running journalist whose expertise lies in the professional world of short course & long distance triathlon, though he also boasts an extensive knowledge of ultra-running.
Discover more
Challenge The Championship Marjolaine Pieree
How to qualify for Challenge The Championship – and why it should be on your triathlon bucket list
Cadomotus aero triathlon cycling shoes
Can your triathlon cycling shoes make you faster? How shoe choice could speed up your triathlon finish times
French Riviera T100 bike course Esterel
Is this the ultimate middle distance triathlon bike course? We rode the French Riviera T100 bike course and it’s EPIC
Ironman gear guide – everything you need to get to the finish line of a full distance triathlon
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
latest News
Laura Philipp wins the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France
IRONMAN World Champ looking for SIXTH straight win on race return at 70.3 Kraichgau
Richard Varga farewell The Championship in Samorin 2025
Quadruple multi-sport world champion “smiled through the suffering” at his ‘last dance’
Kristian Blummenfelt wins 703 Aix en Provence 2025
Kristian Blummenfelt eyes IRONMAN World Championship 1-2-3 for Norwegians
Kat Matthews vs Laura Philipp
IRONMAN Hamburg pro women’s start list: Laura Philipp vs Kat Matthews in World Championship rematch
Lionel Sanders wins 70.3 St George 2025 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
Triathlon superstar Lionel Sanders says he went to a “dark place” to fuel his latest IRONMAN win
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...