Frischknecht wins gold in mountain bike championships, four years on
Switzerland's Thomas Frischknecht has won gold at the mountain bike world championships - in 1996.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) said it was awarding the victory to Frischknecht after the original winner admitted to taking banned doping substances.
The Lausanne-based UCI said it would hand over the gold medal and the winner’s rainbow jersey to Frischknecht on Sunday, during celebrations to mark the organisation’s 100th anniversary.
The French rider, Jerome Chiotti, was stripped of his title after admitting in a newspaper interview in April that he used the performance-enhancing drug, EPO, to help him win the world championship in Cairns, Australia (see “Olympic Committee approves drugs test for Sydney athletes” on Sports page).
“With this short but significant presentation, UCI wishes to pay tribute to an athlete who was deprived of success through circumstances which caused serious prejudice to the fairness of the competition in question,” the cycling union said in a statement.
The Norwegian, Rune Hoydahl, will receive the silver medal, and the bronze will go to Hubert Pallhuber of Italy.
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