Milica Nikolić, Serbia’s taekwondo champion and Olympian, has been slapped with a one-year suspension after testing positive for the banned substance hydrochlorothiazide. But hold on – this isn’t your typical doping scandal. It all started with a simple mistake: she accidentally took her mother’s blood pressure medication instead of her painkillers. Yes, you read that right! Milica’s career was derailed by a mix-up with medicine.
The doping test was conducted in March, but the results only came back in July, after Milica had already announced her retirement in May. She admits it was a careless oversight but is relieved she ended her career before this blunder could ruin it.
Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic often used to mask other substances in doping tests. However, in Milica’s case, no other banned substances were found. She explained that the medication boxes looked almost identical, leading to the accidental intake.
Milica emphasized she has always been a responsible athlete, living a healthy lifestyle with a nutritionist, and this incident was a careless mistake, not an attempt to cheat.
This case raises serious questions about how strict and sometimes unfair doping regulations can be, and how one tiny slip-up can destroy the life and career of a top athlete.
If you think this is just another doping scandal, think again – this is about human error, not deliberate cheating. Yet, the consequences are harsh.
Is the system truly fair, or is this just another example of elite athletes living under a microscope where the smallest mistake can be fatal? Drop your thoughts below – maybe it’s time we had a real talk about this!
