Nathan Baggaley

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Nathan Baggaley (born December 6, 1975 in Byron Bay, New South Wales) is an Australian flatwater canoer and surfski champion. He is a three-times world champion in the individual kayak (K1) 500m event and has also won two Olympic silver medals.

He made his international debut for Australia in 1997, initially competing in the K2. In 1999 he switched to the K1 and reached the 500m semi-finals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Since then he has become one of the top stars in the sport, winning three consecutive K1 500m world championships. At the Athens Olympics however he had to settle for the silver medal in the K1 500m final where he was edged out by Canadian Adam van Koeverden. In the K2 race he partnered Clint Robinson to another silver medal. He was voted the Australian Institute of Sport’s Athlete of the Year in 2004. He returned to win in K1 500m in 2005 in Zagreb just before to be banned for 24 months for doping.

That happened in September 2005 when the paddling world was shocked to learn that Baggaley had tested positive for banned steroids, (stanozolol and methandienone). The Court of Arbitration for Sport banned him from the sport for 24 months. Baggaley said that he had been drug-tested at least fifty times in his career and had always tested negative. He maintained that he had taken the steroids by accident and that he intends to use the ban as a rest and return to competition afterwards [1].

In February 2007 police stopped Baggaley and a companion in Mermaid Waters, northern NSW and on searching their car they found "nearly 800 ecstasy tablets, an unspecified white powder, cannabis and cash".

Prior to his arrest, Baggeley's girlfriend had been world record-breaking swimmer Sophie Edington, who ended their two-year relationship a week before the arrest. In July 2007, he was charged after allegedly stealing a surf ski from the Byron Bay Surf Club. Among his coaches is Peter Clark, a former teacher at the Taipei American School.

In November 2007 Baggaley has been jailed and is facing more drug charges after being arrested in connection with the manufacturing and trafficking of ecstasy.

The new charges come a month after Baggaley, who won two silver medals for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics, was told he cannot return to competition due to other pending drug charges after serving a two-year ban for taking steroids.