Nathan Baggaley (born 6 December 1975 in

Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...

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) is an Australian

sprint canoeist Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

and surfski champion. He is a three-time

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

in the K-1 500 m events and has also won two Olympic silver medals. His career has been tarnished by drug scandals and arrests.

Career summary

Baggaley made his international debut for Australia in 1997, initially competing in the K-2. In 1999 he switched to the K-1 and reached the K-1 500 m semifinals at

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. He became one of the top stars in the sport, winning three consecutive K-1 500 m

world championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

(

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

). At the Athens Olympics Baggaley won the silver medal in the K-1 500 m, edged out by

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Adam van Koeverden Adam Joseph van Koeverden (born January 29, 1982) is a Canadian sprint kayaker, olympic gold medallist, and politician serving since 2025 as the Secretary of State for Sport in Prime Minister Mark Carney's Cabinet. A member of the Liberal ...

. In the K-2 race he partnered with Clint Robinson to another silver medal. He was voted the Australian Institute of Sport's Athlete of the Year in 2004. Baggeley returned to win in the K-1 500 m event at Zagreb in 2005 prior to being banned for 24 months for steroid use.

Steroids and illicit drug

In September 2005 Baggaley tested positive for banned

steroid A steroid is an organic compound with four fused compound, fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes t ...

s (

stanozolol Stanozolol (Abbreviation, abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is a synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American ph ...

and

methandienone Metandienone, also known as methandienone or methandrostenolone and sold under the brand name Dianabol (D-Bol) among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is mostly no longer prescribed. It is also used non-medically ...

). Baggaley was subsequently banned for 15 months by Australian Canoeing. The suspension was extended to two years by the

International Canoe Federation The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated ...

, with authorities saying they did not consider drinking his brother's steroid-laced orange juice to be an extenuating circumstance. Baggaley said that he had been drug-tested at least 50 times in his career and had always tested negative. At the time Baggaley announced he wanted to return to kayaking after serving his suspension, with the comment that after 10 years of competition "I could seriously do with the rest." However, the Australian Canoe Federation rejected a reinstatement application from Baggaley in October 2007 after his arrest with hundreds of ecstasy tablets earlier that same year. In February 2007 police had stopped Baggaley and a companion in

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, Gold Coast, Queensland and on searching their car they found 762 ecstasy tablets, cannabis and cash. Baggaley was arrested again in November 2007 and jailed, facing more drug charges of manufacture and dealing ectasy. In February 2009, Baggaley pleaded guilty to manufacturing 1,509 tablets of the drug

MDMA 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy (tablet form), and molly (crystal form), is an empathogen–entactogenic drug with stimulant and minor Psychedelic drug, psychedelic properties. In studies, it has been used ...

and to two counts of supplying a prohibited drug, and was due to be sentenced in March. His younger brother Dru, arrested with Nathan, pleaded guilty to manufacturing 13,500 tablets of MDMA and one count of supply. He was sentenced to nine years in jail with a non-parole period of five years. Additionally in July 2007, Nathan Baggaley was arrested after allegedly stealing a surf ski from the Byron Bay Surf Club. He pleaded guilty to theft and was placed on a six-month good behaviour bond and ordered to pay $70 court costs. In June 2010 Baggaley was charged with possession of a prescribed restricted substance, being steroids, in jail at the Cessnock Correctional Centre. He was subsequently moved to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre. On 20 November 2011, Baggaley was released from the Grafton Correctional Centre, having served his custodial sentence. In November 2013, Baggaley was arrested by

Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the principal Federal police, federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government responsible for investigating Crime in Australia, crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth ...

and charged with various counts of conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug into Australia, conspiracy to manufacture and produce a prohibited drug (

2C-B 2C-B, also known as 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine or by the slang name Nexus, is a synthetic psychedelic drug of the 2C family, mainly used as a recreational drug. It was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin in 1974 for use in psychoth ...

psychedelic drug Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluc ...

), the manufacture and production of a prohibited drug and one count of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug. He was remanded in custody and officially refused bail. In February 2015 Baggaley pleaded guilty to "drug manufacturing and conspiracy charges". In December he was sentenced by Judge Leonie Flannery to a non-parole period of two years and three months. In August 2018, Baggaley's brother, Dru Anthony Baggaley, was arrested in connection with the attempted importation of of cocaine. On 20 June 2019, Nathan Baggaley was arrested at his home in Byron Bay in connection with the same alleged crime, after "an ongoing investigation and evidence collection over the past 11 months." After pleading not guilty, on 1 April 2021 Baggaley and his brother were found guilty. Baggaley was sentenced to 25 years on 27 July 2021.

References

* * *Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). "Canoeing: Men's Kayak Singles 500 Meters". In ''The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition''. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 470–1. {{DEFAULTSORT:Baggaley, Nathan 1975 births Australian Institute of Sport canoeists Australian male canoeists Australian sportspeople in doping cases Canoeists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Doping cases in canoeing Living people Olympic canoeists for Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Sportsmen from New South Wales Olympic medalists in canoeing Doping cases in Australian canoeing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Australian drug traffickers 21st-century Australian sportsmen Australian sportspeople convicted of crimes Sportspeople convicted of crimes