LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - Former Olympic champion cross-country skier Therese Johaug said she shed a few tears Tuesday during a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in a doping case that could bar her from the 2018 Winter Games.
“It was tough but I am very satisfied that the day is over. I got to say what I wanted to say,” Johaug told Norwegian media, which was broadcasting live from outside sport’s highest court.
The CAS panel’s verdict is expected within weeks.
The International Ski Federation appealed to CAS for a longer ban for the two-time World Cup overall champion, who is currently clear to compete in November.
A Norwegian Olympic tribunal banned Johaug for only 13 months for a positive test for the steroid clostebol.
The original ruling was that she was not at significant fault for using a team-approved lotion to treat her sunburned lips during training in Italy last year.
“All my feelings, all my memories came back to me,” Johaug said after the hearing. “I will not hide it, I had a few tears.”
Johaug won gold in the 4x5-kilometer relay at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and earned individual silver and bronze medals in distance events at the 2014 Sochi Games.
Johaug’s ban blocked her from defending her World Cup title, but she could compete again almost three months before the Pyeongchang Olympics open in South Korea.
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