Pavle Jovanovic (bobsledder)
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Pavle Jovanovic (January 11, 1977May 3, 2020) was an American
bobsled Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobs ...
der of
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
n origin who had competed since 1997. At the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...
in
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
, he finished seventh both in the two-man event and in the four-man event. Although on the U.S. Bobsled team in 2002, he was disqualified from competing due to the presence of prohibited substances from food supplements, which he claimed were taken without his knowledge or intent. Jovanovic won a bronze medal in the four-man event at the 2004 FIBT World Championships in
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. In 2011, Jovanovic started to compete for
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. He was one of the best pushers in bobsledding, a position requiring extraordinary strength.


Career

Jovanovic was born and raised in Toms River, New Jersey and graduated from Toms River High School East. At the age of 20, he began to race Bobsleds competitively, and proved adept at the art of being the brakeman. A brakeman is a pusher, sitting at the rear of a four-man or two-man sled. "The brakeman is crucial in getting the sled started, and stopping the sled after the run. His competitive weight was , and he stood 1.85 meters (6 ft 2 in) tall. His size and performance made him "an ideal brakeman", something he did not start out to do. "I did it because I loved it ... ndI was naturally good at power lifting and running." Jovanovic talks about pushing off at the top of the course. "When it comes to loading into the sled, I think that that is something that only years and years of experience in high competitions, with crowds and years of training properly at high speeds, can really give you crisp, smooth look," he explained. Repeated off season training is the ticket. Where mere thousandths of a second can separate winners, precise teamwork is an absolute necessity. Obtaining "the smoothest acceleration" is the goal; entry should be automatic, "crisp and clean". According to ''
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'', Jovanovic was described by U.S. Olympic team officials as "one of the most feared brakemen on the Bobsleigh World Cup circuit". These officials noted Jovanovic's two first-place finishes in 2004 and "strong performances" in 2005 as reasons for considering him "one of the best". Jovanovic was seen as a likely medalist at the 2006 Olympics. His extensive experience and training helped earn him two golds and a silver medal at the 2005 Bobsleigh World Cup. In the two-man with Todd Hays, Jovanovic won a silver and a bronze medal in 2006, but 2006 4-man medal gold was not to be. U.S. sled driver Todd Hays expressed regret that he could not bring home a medal for his teamPavle Jovanovic, Steve Mesler and Brock Kreitzburg. He blamed himself for bad driving. Todd Hays said he had both the right equipment and "I have the push. I just didn't drive well again tonight. For some reason, I can't find a rhythm on this track," despite finding the 'rhythm' of all the other tracks in the world.
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's Bryant Gumbel interviewed Jovanovic extensively about the suspension during '' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'' Season 8.


Doping suspension

Before testing positive, Jovanovic likely would have been the pusher for driver Todd Hays' sleigh—which won the
silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...
in four-man in the 2002 Olympics. Instead, he watched the event on television. The American bobsled team had its sights on ending the 46-year "American medal drought". Jovanovic was integral to the effort, however his nine-month suspension for testing positive for a banned steroid prevented him from contributing. Jovanovic was set to become a member of the
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bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobslei ...
in time for the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...
in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
. However, he failed a drug test on December 29, 2001, for ingesting Nitro Tech, a
nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...
al supplement he purchased at a General Nutrition Centers store in Salt Lake City eight days earlier that contained norandrostenedione, a derivative of androstenedione, a substance famously and controversially used by former
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sluggers, ''e.g.''
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, and thereafter banned by the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
and the
World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; , AMA) is an international organization co-founded by the governments of over 140 nations along with the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against d ...
. Supported by his teammates, Jovanovic admitted he took the supplement, but said it had been recommended by a nutritionist, and that he unintentionally ingested the steroid, which was unlisted in the supplement's ingredients. In December 2001, Jovanovic had recommended the products to Curt Clausen, a two-time U.S. Olympic racewalker, who had chronic muscle fatigue from his 100-mile-a-week workouts. Jovanovic recommended a number of carbohydrate and protein supplements, which were claimed to be free of banned substances. However, Clausen discovered through online research that they were marketed mainly to bodybuilders, so he declined the supplements. The next month Jovanovic tested positive for metabolites of the banned steroid nandrolone, 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone. The International Olympic Committee imposed a two-year ban against Jovanovic. U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) chief Terry Madden, whose group oversees the domestic testing of Olympic athletes stated:
urmessage has never wavered. ... You cannot take supplements without assuming the risks. A number of positive tests have been blamed on contaminated supplements, and athletes have been warned for years about the dangers and health risks associated with taking dietary supplements. This is not an athlete health issue. I believe it is a health issue for the American public.
Jovanovic was put on two-year suspension as a result. Jovanovic maintained it was an accidental ingestion. In 2002, his teammates broke the 46-year medal drought. Jovanovic said the experience left some bitterness, including "I had some disdain for the sport. After I watched the (U.S.) team race in the Olympics, utI had to determine if I was going to make it back." After his suspension from bobsledding, Jovanovic worked in Toms River for his father's construction business. He received a bachelor's degree in
fluid mechanics Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasma (physics), plasmas) and the forces on them. Originally applied to water (hydromechanics), it found applications in a wide range of discipl ...
from
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
. Jovanovic returned to bobsleigh in 2003 and was drug-free .


Perspective

The suspension of Jovanovic for the use of nutritional supplementswhich he swore he did not know to be steroid adulteratedbecame a
cause célèbre A ( , ; pl. ''causes célèbres'', pronounced like the singular) is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning, and heated public debate. The term is sometimes used positively for celebrated legal cases for th ...
. Essentially, he became the poster child for the cause. In an interview, team captain Todd Hays pulled items out of a bag and showcased them, referring to them as "illegal drugs" and as would "a lawyer setting up Exhibit A for the jury." Noting that the sports supplements and drinks were available for free in the
Olympic Village An Olympic Village is a residential complex built or reassigned for the Olympic Games in or nearby the List of Olympic Games host cities, host city for the purpose of accommodating all of the delegations. Olympic Villages are usually located clos ...
, he questioned their purity. When a reporter asked about the two-year ban Jovanovic was given one day before Opening Ceremonies, he "pulled no punches. He 'ripped' supplement makers, the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
, and the United States Anti-Doping Agency." He said that "They're very educated about what these companies are putting in these protein drinks and powders. The problem is that the athletes are not educated on this. Apparently, they have tested several hundred supplements and found that 25 percent of them contain banned supplements. The only problem is that they won't release the names of these companies." Hays concluded: "As you can see, it's affected me a tad." Being branded a cheater does great harm to athletes. Jovanovic sued the supplement companies. In doing so, he joined a list of athletesat least fivewho sued supplement manufacturers. "When athletes flunk strict drug tests, it can cost them plenty—missed competitions, lost salary, endorsement deals." Some athletes have sued for damages, alleging damage to their reputation and lost opportunities. Contaminated and tainted supplements "can lead to arrest and criminal prosecution; in others, the bad press alone can have a devastating effect upon consumer confidence and a company’s bottom line—sometimes even before the alleged contamination is confirmed.... If the contamination involves a substance banned in competitive sports, a lawsuit may be filed..." The suits allege that the tainted powders, pills and liquids "caused them to fail tests designed to spot cheaters." He filed a lawsuit against Century Foods International in
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over his 2001 failed drug test in October 2005. The manufacturer and other defendants denied liability, and said there was no impurity in their product. This lawsuit was dismissed by agreement on April 12, 2006, in Salt Lake City. Such contamination has been a common problem. Bad labeling, lying, intentional or accidental cross-contamination, and poor manufacture are all potentially implicated. When supplement companies are sued, they typically deny wrongdoing and counter that the players are blame shifting to hide their own guilt. They may even counter sue and allege
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and trade libel.


Death

On May 9, 2020, the United States bobsled and skeleton team announced that Jovanovic had died by suicide on May 3. Mesler said that Jovanovic was his "personal legend", and "the athlete that set the standard for focus, dedication, meticulousness, and drive" in his life and for the team. "Pavle was king. He WAS the standard."


References


Notes


Citations


External links


Bobsleigh four-man world championship medalists since 1930

FIBT profile

FIBT World Championships 2007 four-man results


* ttp://www.usolympicteam.com/11555_43441.htm US Olympic Committee spotlight on Jovanovic's comeback after his doping suspension*''
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'
The 2002 men's bobsleigh team featuring Jovanovic
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jovanovic, Pavle 1977 births 2020 deaths 2020 suicides American male bobsledders American people of Serbian descent American sportspeople in doping cases Bobsledders at the 2006 Winter Olympics Doping cases in bobsleigh Olympic bobsledders for the United States Rutgers University alumni Serbian male bobsledders Sportspeople from Toms River, New Jersey Toms River High School East alumni Suicides in the United States 21st-century American sportsmen