Swiss mountain bike superstar Mathias Flückiger came close to taking Olympic gold back in 2020 before being denied by Tom Pidcock. In June 2022 though, he tested positive for 0.3 nanograms per millilitre of the anabolic substance zeranol, during the Swiss national championships, which he won. Since, he has spent the last two years protesting his innocence. A battle in which he has emerged successful.
After more than two years of fighting, Flückiger has now been officially acquitted of the charge. "The pressure over the last two years has been unbelievably great. Dealing with this case, with countless obstacles, was by far the hardest and longest competition in my career," Flückiger was quoted as saying on Friday by Blick. "I am grateful that I had my family, my girlfriend and an incredibly good team by my side. They made it possible for the truth to prevail in the end."
In an added bonus for the now 36-year-old Swiss talent, Flückiger, he has also been awarded a not inconsiderable sum of 43,380 Swiss francs, plus the Swiss Sports Integrity SSI have been ordered to pay Flückiger's 3,000 francs legal cost fee.
According to the Swiss however, this is simply not enough compensation for the damage caused. This amount "does not come close to covering the actual costs that Mathias Flückiger has had to spend over the last two years, let alone the lost bonuses and sponsorship income as well as personal expenses," his team claim in a statement. "Actual financial damage suffered must be fully compensated." As such, we may not have seen the last of this drama just yet.
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