Lance Armstrong experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and used an intensive therapy approach in the years after he admitted taking performance-enhancing drugs, the former professional cyclist told “The Great Unlearn” podcast.
In what remains one of the most infamous scandals in sporting history, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in 2012 and was also asked to return all of the prize money he had earned from the victories between 1999 and 2005.
He first spoke publicly about taking performance-enhancing drugs in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2013, explaining how he used, among other things, erythropoietin (EPO) – which stimulates red blood cell production – testosterone, human growth hormone, and illegal blood transfusions.
“I went from hero to zero overnight,” the 52-year-old said on an episode of “The Great Unlearn” podcast released on Tuesday.
In his Oprah interview, Armstrong described himself as “deeply flawed” and “a bully… in the sense that I tried to control the narrative” around the extent of his doping, which the US Anti-Doping Agency called “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program.”
Following his public confession, Armstrong was hit with a number of lawsuits. Most notably, he agreed to pay the US government $5 million in 2018, having admitted to doping while the US Postal Service was paying millions to sponsor his team.
“There was a mile-long list of lawsuits,” Armstrong told “The Great Unlearn” podcast. “Income went from some exorbitant amount to zero … You can’t go through all of these things without suffering PTSD.
“I think we as a society hear about PTSD and we associate that with people who have been at war, have lost comrades, have seen death and have killed people… PTSD is not exclusive to soldiers, it’s certainly not exclusive to me.”
Armstrong didn’t say on the podcast when and by whom his PTSD was diagnosed.
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