Norwegian cross-country ski champion Therese Johaug will not compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, after her doping ban was extended to 18 months.
Johaug tested positive for an anabolic steroid last July that she says came from a lip balm she took to relieve sunburn on her lips. She says the person who gave her the ointment told her it was safe, but a Norwegian Olympic tribunal noted that there was a doping warning on the tube that she could have read that would have warned her about the ingredients, The Washington Post reported.
The extension of the ban means she won’t be able to compete in February at the 2018 Winter Games. “I am heartbroken. I had a dream to get to the Olympics,” Johaug said tearfully at a news conference, the Post reported. “I think it is unfair. I feel I was unfairly treated.”
After the tribunal originally gave her a more lenient sentence, the International Ski Federation asked for an extension of the ban because of her lack of due diligence and the fact that her punishment was “on the low end of the range of reasonable sanctions,” The Washington Post reported. The arbitration panel agreed.
Johaug, who is 29, won Olympic gold in the 4-by-5-km relay in 2010 and a silver and bronze in individual races in 2014. She has also won seven gold medals at world championships, including three in 2015, The Washington Post reported.
Her suspension will last until mid-April, The Associated Press reported.
Twitter followers seemed to think the original decision was unfair and needed fixing.