CrossFit: Mat Fraser says banned Ricky Garard tried to ‘snitch’ on him

Five-time champion Fraser says his interactions with Garard before the ruling by CrossFit were fine and that he enjoyed his company during training

Garard is currently serving a four-year ban for testing positive for PEDs, which will end after the 2021 CrossFit Games

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Mat Fraser has commented on banned athlete Ricky Gerard. Photo: One Man One Camera/Adnan Karimjee

Published: 8:24pm, 6 May 2021Updated: 5:18pm, 7 May 2021

Retired five-time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser says banned athlete Ricky Garard tried to “snitch” on him after claiming he knew Fraser was a drugs cheat.

Australian Garard was stripped of his third place finish at the 2017 CrossFit Games, which Fraser won, after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. He was given a four-year ban from the sport, which expires at the end of the 2021 season.

Fraser spoke about Garard on the “JOSH MAT SEVAN” podcast, which he hosts alongside fellow CrossFitter Josh Bridges and filmmaker Sevan Matossian. Fraser has commented on a number of subjects on the show, and said he worked out with Garard in the lead-up to the 2017 CrossFit Games.

The American, who retired from CrossFit in February, said he first competed against Garard at the 2016 Dubai Fitness Championship after training with him alongside Australian Khan Porter.

“I knew he had a motor that was just about second to none,” said Fraser of his recollection of Garard’s athletic abilities in the lead-up to the games. “I had spent a little bit of time with him and I really enjoyed his company, and in Dubai I always tried to shoot the s*** with him.”

Fraser expressed dismay at the whole controversy and said, up until Garard was banned, he had no issues with him.