Skiing star's final test negative

  • 2002-02-07
  • Aleksei Gunter, TALLINN
Less than two weeks after testing positive for the illegal substance 19-norandrosteron, Estonian cross-country skiing star Kristina Schmigun has been told she will be participating in the Winter Olympics after all.

A second B-test on the medal hopeful, whose fate has gripped the nation, turned out to be negative, the Estonian Skiing Association reported last week.

Schmigun, the Estonian 15 kilometer freestyle cross-country champion, ranks fifth worldwide according to the International Skiing Federation.

An earlier preliminary test indicated Schmigun had 6.4 nanograms of 19-norandrosteron in her body, an amount exceeding the permitted five nanograms.

Having been glued to TV sets throughout the drama, the nation breathed a collective sigh of relief when the B-probe, the second stage of the doping analysis test carried out in a German laboratory, showed only 4.2 nanograms of the substance in her body.

Schmigun is tipped as one of the athletes most likely to win Estonia a medal, having taken second place in the cross-country skiing World Cup in the 1999 to 2000 season.

At a news conference Schmigun, known popularly as Kiku, expressed relief. "I'm so tired, but I'm also very happy the whole thing is over," said the 24-year-old, who said she had hardly slept for a week.

"I can put my hand on the Bible and say I am absolutely clean."

Jaanus Pulles, chair of the Estonian Skiing Association, said the association would analyze the case after the Winter Olympic Games are over and draw conclusions.

Mehis Viru, the Estonian team's medical consultant, witnessed the B-probe being carried out and concluded that all proper procedures had been followed.

The earlier positive result may have been due to the first sample being sent to the laboratory in Germany without the athlete's sex being noted down, said Viru.

Men are expected to have just two nanograms of 19-norandrosteron in their systems and if the sample was thought to be from a male athlete, Schmigun's 6.4 nanograms would have stood out, he said.

The initial urine test had been conducted incorrectly, he added.

The Estonian Skiing Association said it did not suspect any plot against Schmigun and added it hoped the case was nothing but an unfortunate misunderstanding.