Doper suspects sabotage by his fellow Russian
Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitzky and his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova, will be stripped of the bronze medal in mixed doubles curling after Krushelnitzky’s B sample tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance Meldonium.
In their place, Norwegian pairing Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien will receive the Russian couple’s medals, according to the Independent.
But on top of the announcement made by the Olympic Athletes of Russia comes the news that a criminal investigation has been launched in an attempt to discover how the drug entered his body.
The OAR delegation issued a statement confirming the positive test, but cast doubt on whether the athlete took the drug knowingly.
According to Inside the Games, Krushelnitzky told Russian officials that he suspects a teammate who was not selected for the 2018 Winter Olympics may have spiked his drink during a preOlympic training camp in Japan.
“I am ready to openly state that I have never, never during the time that I practice sport, used forbidden drugs and any other dishonest ways of competing,” he told Inside The Games. “I am absolutely against doping and I have always tried to follow all antidoping rules as closely as possible. My positive test for Meldonium in this regard was for me and for Anastasia not just a shock, this is a huge blow both to our reputation and career. Not to mention that only people completely devoid of common sense can use any kind of doping, and even more so Meldonium, on the eve of the Olympic Games, where testing is at the highest level.”
Canadian regrets removing medal
Canadian defenseman Jocelyne Larocque said she wishes she hadn’t taken off her silver medal almost immediately after it was placed around her neck at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Larocque issued a statement through Team Canada apologizing to the IOC, International Ice Hockey Federation, the Pyeongchang Olympic Organizing Committee, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Hockey Canada and her teammates and fans.
She says her emotions got the best of her Thursday after a 3-2 shootout loss to the United States and she meant no disrespect. Larocque said she takes being a role model and representing Canada seriously and is truly sorry that her actions did not represent her values or those of her family and team.
Skicross gold for Canada
Canada’s Kelsey Serwa has raced to victory in women’s skicross, giving her a gold medal to go with the silver she won in Sochi four years ago.
Serwa raced to the lead early in the final and was well in front by the time she reached the bottom of the course at Phoenix Snow Park. Canadian teammate Brittany Phelan made an impressive pass late in the run to finish second.
Hosts denied in final night of speedskating
South Korea won a leading six medals in the nation’s favorite Winter Olympic sport of short-track speedskating, although the host country was denied gold on the crashfilled final night of competition.
The Koreans crashed with 23 laps to go in the men’s 5,000-meter relay final, and the same fate befell goldmedal favorites Choi Minjeong and Shim Suk-hee in the women’s 1,000 final on Thursday.
Hungary won its first Olympic short-track medal in the men’s relay, taking the lead on the last lap of the 45-lap race in which 16 skaters tore around the rink. The team of brothers Liu Shaoang and Liu Shaolin Sandor, along with Viktor Knoch and Csaba Burjan, set an Olympic-record of 6 minutes, 31.971 seconds.