Ochoa denies involvement in Operacion Grial

Spain's Javier Ochoa wins at the 2000 Tour de France

Spain's Javier Ochoa wins at the 2000 Tour de France (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)

Javier Ochoa has denied any use or dealing of doping products, and says that he is in no way involved in Spanish doping investigation Operación Grail.

He also denied press reports that he had been arrested or detained by the Guardia Civil.

Ochoa, 35, was left paralyzed after a training accident in February 2001, which killed his twin brother Ricardo. Ochoa rode for Team Kelme at the time.

He has come back to become a success paralympic cyclist, winning gold in the road race and time trial at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, and gold in the time trial in the Beijing 2008 Summer Paralympics

He admitted to knowing the apparent head of the doping ring, Dr. Walter Viru, from when both were at Team Kelme. “I have been in his office four times for a stress test, like many athletes and sports enthusiasts."

Ochoa noted that he has undergone many doping controls, both in his times as a professional rider and now as a paralympic cyclist. The Spanish website, AS.com, notes that he has been subjected to numerous controls, both in and out of competition, since he resumed riding, by both the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Basque Community, which did not want to risk a doping scandal around its most successful paralympic athlete.

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