As an athlete who has been involved in doping procedures for years - and who carne close to ______ tests - I feel compelled to defend cyclist Lizzie Armitstead. It might not be an ideal moment to speak up in support of an athlete who has been viewed suspiciously by her fellow Olympians but I’ve been spurred (2) into action after reading so many people, many of whom love to sensationalise, offering their opinions on Lizzie Armitstead’s missed drugs tests. A depressingly dark cloud lingers (3) over the sporting world at present - and many athletes and associations are cheating more than ever - but it’s worth ______ another side of the story before reaching a suspicious conclusion.

My own hunch (1) is that she is not a doping cheat and that she made a mistake. Something that has not often been noted in reflections of commentators over the past weeks is that in 2016 alone Armitstead faced 16 tests and all of them were clean. I have been tested in all sorts of situations over the years, some more intrusive than others. Every athlete has their favourite ______ story. One of mine that springs (4) to mind was after a last-eight match in Delhi in 2010. We finished gone midnight after two hours of play and I was whisked off (5) as high as a kite (not on drugs I should add) and exhausted to sit and wait. Luckily for me, England physio Phil Newton generously stayed with me for support. Time was crucial and every minute that ticked by made a dent in the recovery and preparation for the medal match the following day. I finally put my head on a pillow just after 5am.

Without that test I would have benefitted from two more vital hours in the sack. It’s part of the deal though and, if that’s the biggest of my issues in life then I’m OK. I had worked so hard for the event for many months and years, and the early hours of that morning were a mess. During my career I have also intermittently been on the same “whereabouts” programme as Armitstead and it is hard to keep tabs on. We give our availability at an address for one hour every day and the testers can knock on that door whenever they want outside of that. If they arrive outside the given hour and you’re not there that’s OK.But if they arrive on your given hour, you must be there (7) and proceed to give a sample - sometimes blood and urine, but always urine.

I’m painting this picture from my own experience not to self-indulge (6) but to give you a snapshot of a fairly strange and surreal aspect of an athlete’s life. Strangers have to come into our private homes to watch us exposing ourselves during the procedures of the test because some people are willing to cheat. This must be done, but perhaps it’s important to consider this information before you make conclusions about Armitstead’s case.

(Adapted from: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/willstrop-s- world/2016/aua/18/rio-2016-olvmpics-cvclina-druas-lizzie-armitstead)

According to the text, the verb structures that fill in the blanks are, respectively,