With just six minutes to spare, Kansas City Olympic boxing hopeful Cam F Awesome nearly missed his random drug test. Before the one-hour time limit expired, Awesome ended up getting tested at 41 Action News, where he had just done a live studio interview to promote a charity fundraiser, Thursday morning.
"I'm glad someone else gets to witness the whole situation," Awesome told us during the test.
The Lenexa resident said his coach called him at our studio before the interview.
"He told me they're there to drug test me, and the drug testing agent was nice enough to drive from Olathe all the way down here," Awesome said.
When he's not at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado, Awesome usually works out in Olathe and listed the gym on his whereabouts file for Olympic drug testers to find him.
"They have to give us a whereabouts filing telling where they are 24/7, 365," said the drug testing agent who asked us not to name him.
Whereabouts required
Olympic hopefuls are required to register their whereabouts three months out and email or text any updates.
"That's hard to do and hard to remember because if you're supposed to meet your friend at one restaurant and then your friend says another restaurant, then, you know, it's never really in your mind to say 'I'll just text [the drug agents],'" said Awesome.
Missed tests penalty
As Awesome knows all too well, the penalty for missing three random drug tests in 12 months is a one-year suspension.
"I've made mistakes before with not doing this," Awesome said. "This is exactly why I got suspended in 2012 and didn't get to compete in the Olympics then."
Awesome points out he's never tested positive for any drugs and hasn't missed any tests for the 2016 Olympics. He still needs to secure a spot on Team USA by finishing well at one of two remaining qualifying events before Rio.
