Valentina Cavallar denounces anti-doping test after her mother’s death

Valentina Cavallar took to social media to denounce a surprise anti-doping test at her home, just hours after her mother’s death. The Austrian cyclist called the experience “painful and disrespectful”: her mother was lying in the next room.

“Losing my mother in September has changed the way I see life forever,” she wrote. She contrasted sporting goals and results with the loss of someone loved, which, she said, puts what truly matters into perspective.

Cavallar also urged people not to forget the person behind the athlete: “I believe in clean sport. But I also believe that humanity, compassion and respect must never be forgotten.” She described the test as a moment that made her reflect on how little room is left for emotions and family life once the demands of professional sport begin.

Cavallar did not compete after the incident. A former Olympic rower at Tokyo 2020, she later moved into professional cycling. In her remarks, she did not challenge the principle of clean sport, but stressed the need to take human circumstances into account when conducting tests.