Austrian pro triathlete Lisa Hütthaler recently admitted to doping in the Austrian daily newspaper Kurier. Hütthaler tested positive last summer and got banned for 2 years by NADA in October of 08, but had denied these charges until now. Along those lines, Hütthaler is currently awaiting criminal charges as she stands accused of attempting to bribe a lab employee of the lab who tested her B sample. Now she has finally admitted to doping and accused Irondoc Andreas Zoubek and Stefan Matschiner (former manager of Austrian road pro Bernhard Kohl) of being supplier.
In a stunning 2 page interview with the newspaper, Hütthaler talked about the doping, how she got started, some of the people behind the network and her reasons for talking now.
"I have made this decision because I miss the sport very much. And because I am sick of all the lies," said Hütthaler when the Kurier asked about her reasons to come clean now. "I can't change what has already happened. But I can help out so that it gets better some time. It is not easy. I am afraid and am considering moving to another country."
In the interview with the Kurier, Hütthaler also said that she was introduced to the world of doping at age 18 by her former almost 40-year old boyfriend / coach / age-group athlete. "All of it always sat around at the house of my former boyfriend. There were insulin syringes, there was ephedrin, he had EPO in the fridge," describes Hütthaler. When asked by the Kurier why an amateur athlete would have performance enhancing drugs, Hütthaler responded with "Because they want to drop their best friend. Many amateur athletes dope. Many. In every type of sports. There are many doctors. They have money. The most expensive material alone doesn't make you faster."
Hütthaler also described to the Kurier how she was introduced to Stefan Matschiner by Irondoc Andreas Zoubek in May of 2007. "Zoubek, who I knew from triathlon, said that there is someone who knows a lot about doping and plays in a different league. I sat next to Zoubek in the St.-Anna-Kinderspital, where I had been quite often. He called Matschiner and arranged the meeting. Until then, I had never heard the name Matschiner," said Hütthaler.
According to the interview in the Kurier, Matschiner then supplied Hütthaler on six different occasions with EPO until she was found positive in 2008.
In the interview, Hütthaler also accused Stefan Matschiner of assisting her with blood doping, and also explained one of the cover-up tricks. "He drew blood from me twice. But only once was it reintroduced into the body. ... I know that Matschiner gave me a different name for cover-up. Cinderella. He wrote Cindy on the blood bag."
According to Hütthaler, Zoubek was apparently more than just an intermediary. "He (Zoubek) injected Epo into me once at the St.-Anna-Kinderspital. In his office. I just walked up there. He then locked the door." added Hütthaler.
Original story: Kurier.at
