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A middle-distance runner dubbed the 'world's sexiest Olympic athlete' has revealed the precarious nature of random drug testing in sport after she was selected during an evening at the cinema.
Alica Schmidt made her name as a member of Germany's 4x400m relay teams, taking part in last year's Olympic Games in Paris.
Having previously travelled to Tokyo in 2021, Schmidt's inclusion in the women's team in French capital raised eyebrows in some circles, with the 26-year-old chosen ahead of team-mate Luna Bulmahn.
Germany failed to make it out of the heats stage in both mixed and women's relay in Paris, but Schmidt opted to commemorate her achievement of racing in the Games regardless.
Last November, the runner opted to ink a delicate Olympic rings tattoo onto her thigh to pay tribute to her journey to Stade de France that summer.
While Schmidt has opted to focus her talents on success in a new discipline - 800 meters - she remains under scrutiny by the anti-doping agencies which govern her sport.
'World's sexiest Olympic athlete' Alica Schmidt has opened up on the rigours of anti-doping
The runner competed at last year's Olympic Games in Paris in the mixed and women's relays
And the German star shared insight into how controlling measures can be to her social media followers on Wednesday.
Posting a picture of herself undergoing blood testing to her Instagram Story, Schmidt shared that she had been in the midst of watching a film when she received the call.
While many of the cinemagoing public would cast aspersions on those checking their phones in the theatre, Schmidt found herself very lucky when she did.
'Doping control called me last night while I was at the movies (smiling through tears emoji),' she shared, with a timestamp of 10.53pm at night showing how she had been in anti-doping protocols late into the evening.
'I had to leave 30 minutes into the film, but luckily I saw the call!
'They always call anonymously so you can't call them back, and after 30 minutes, you get a (missed) test.'
As per World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Anti-Doping Code, 'any combination of three missed tests and/or filing failures [...] within a twelve-month period' constitutions a violation of anti-doping regulations.
Athletes across a range of sports have spoken out about the at-times Draconian anti-doping protocols which have seen them woken up at bizarre hours.
The German athlete shared on her social media that she had been some way into a film when she was contacted for testing
After missing out a spot at the World Championships Schmidt had been unwinding in Thailand
Tennis star Naomi Osaka described a 'scary' experience she had when testers arrived at her hotel room at 5am to take her blood, with the tester struggling to find a vein to sample.
Schmidt has had a disrupted 2025 after suffering from a Covid-19 infection, alongside the challenge of changing disciplines.
With her form suffering, she missed out on a place at this year's World Championships in Tokyo last month, but as per Bild, her best time this season of 2.03.21 minutes comfortably puts her ahead of the German World Championship standard.
