Everybody's mind has been on the Olympics lately. For one former European athlete, it brings back unpleasant memories.
Heidi Krieger was a consistent winner in the 1980's, for what was then East Germany. She was a women's shot put champion, who gained world recognition.
It seems that those accomplishments may have been aided superficially. According to Krieger, her coaches at the time told her that the pills they were shoving down her gullet were "vitamins", but what they were giving her was something quite different. Heidi was allegedly one of 10,000 East German athletes who were given steroids, without their knowledge. While they provided "extra juice" to beat their competitors, the other results were less positive.
According to Krieger, steroids "changed" her, as she began to turn more masculine, both physically and emotionally. She started looking and feeling more like a male, eventually going on to have a sex change operation in 1997, becoming Andreas Krieger.
Although Andreas has adjusted to his new life, he still feels betrayed by his coaches, who literally turned his world completely upside down.
This should be a cautionary lesson for all of the female athletes who currently pop steroids to give them an edge.
Charles Out of Charge 
