April 13, 2025 could have been remembered as the day when multiple discus throw records were broken at a meet in the United States. But now, it may go down in history as the day a new term entered the spotlight: weather doping. Doping traditionally meant the use of performance-enhancing drugs or PEDs, to gain an unfair edge.

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What exactly is 'weather doping'? 

It is a term which was used by Scandinavian commentators and coaches at the Continental Tour Bronze event at Ramona, Oklahoma. It gained attention after Lithuania's Mykolas Alekna, the 2024 Olympic silver medallist, smashed his own world record and became the first man to pass the 75-metre mark with a throw of 75.56m.

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In total, five men cleared the 70-metre mark at the same event for the first time.

Meanwhile, in the women’s section, Olympic champion Valarie Allman set a new U.S. record with a throw of 73.52 metres — the longest by a woman in 36 years.

Simply put, 'weather doping' means using the weather conditions to someone's advantage. On Sunday, the weather forecast suggested windy conditions in Ramona, Oklahoma, with wind speed close to 30mph throughout. The discus throwers used it to their advantage to send their discuses to a farther distance.

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Now, the Millican Field, where the event was held has several throwing circles facing different directions. According to the Scandinavian commentators the extraordinary performances were enabled by the venue's engineered design, which allows athletes to better adjust depending on the conditions. The likes of Alekna and Allman just made the most of the situation.

Unlike various track and field events, the discus throw has no restrictions on wind assistance when it comes to records. Thor Gjesdal of the Norwegian Athletics Federation said 'the weekend results would be ratified and more wind-assisted throws can be expected, despite the criticism.'

"It is more difficult to quantify the benefit of wind in the same way as in running," he said. "It will be difficult to change the rules now."

"I don't know whether to laugh or cry," Swedish commentator Mats Wennerholm said. "It just becomes ridiculous in a competition boosted by gale-force winds. Weather doping should be added to the banned list."