A Russian curler who passed rigorous vetting to attend the Winter Olympics was hit by a drug case yesterday, raising questions over the testing program and the move to let Russians compete, despite systemic doping.
Alexander Krushelnitsky, who won bronze in the mixed doubles curling with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova, was the subject of a new procedure at the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) anti-doping division.
The case could have wider repercussions — Olympic officials are to decide this week whether to lift a ban on Russia and let them march behind their national flag at the closing ceremony on Sunday.
Photo: AFP
Krushelnitsky was one of 168 athletes passed as “clean” and allowed to compete as neutrals after a targeted testing program over several months, but it emerged that he failed his A and B test samples, and CAS is now to decide if there has been a violation and possible sanctions.
A source close to the matter said the case involves meldonium, which increases endurance and helps recovery.
Tennis star Maria Sharapova served a 15-month ban after testing positive for meldonium in 2016.
Russia were banned as a team from the Olympics in December last year after investigations revealed an extensive doping plot culminating at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, where the hosts topped the medals table.
Elsewhere, Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir smashed the short dance world record as French rival Gabriella Papadakis suffered “my worst nightmare” with a wardrobe malfunction.
As Virtue and Moir glided, twizzled and spun their way to a best-ever score of 83.67, Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron performed stoically in the face of the embarrassment of her dress becoming unclipped early in their routine, exposing a breast.
“It was pretty distracting, my worst nightmare at the Olympics,” 22-year-old Papadakis said. “I felt it right away and I prayed. I told myself: ‘You have to keep going’ and that’s what we did, and we have to be proud of ourselves, delivering a great performance with that happening.”
A great performance it was with the Olympic debutants’ samba-rhumba-samba to two Ed Sheeran hits earning them 81.93 to go into today’s free dance final just behind the Canadians.
Lying in the bronze medal position were US duo Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue.
On Sunday evening in the speed skating, Taiwan’s Huang Yu-ting finished 22nd out of 31 competitors in the women’s 500m.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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