FOSHAN, CHINA - Yeng Guiao is no longer amused by the 'random' aspect of the drug tests Gilas Pilipinas guard Kiefer Ravena has undergone.
"Parang hindi na random," Guiao said after Ravena was picked for his second random drug test in four days in the 2019 Fiba World Cup - his first tournament back after serving an 18-month Fiba doping suspension.
"Parang hindi accurate ang word na random. Maybe they’re really picking on him. Kaka-blood test, kaka-drug test lang n’ya," Guiao added.
Guiao, however, is taking everything in stride and refuses to allow the issue to become a distraction as Gilas gets ready to play powerhouse Serbia in a game it needs to win if it hopes to make it past the group stage here.
"Wala naman tayong tinatago so okay lang sa atin. Wala naman tayong kailangang hindi ipaalam sa kanila," the multi-titled coach said. "Gusto nila, tatlong beses isang araw syang dina-drug test, pwede rin 'yon.
"Wala namang problema sa atin 'yon."
Ravena, too, has learned to roll with the punches as he restarts a career that got stalled when he tested positive for a banned substance contained in a supplement he took during the World Cup qualifiers,
"I was a little surprised, my name being there (again), but like I said, I don’t take it personally," he said. "It’s part of the tournament I guess. They told us that at any part of the tournament, you can be called."
What Ravena obviously isn't happy about are the things critics impute on the successive drug tests.
"May nagrereklamo kasi sa sinabi ko na [para] sa peace of mind ko [ang drug tests], pero dapat [daw] para sa peace of mind ng kalaban para mapatunayan na hindi ako nandadaya," the former UAAP MVP said.
"But that’s just the wrong way of thinking about it, I guess, because in the first place I never really tried to gain an advantage," he added.
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