Mathias Flückiger exonerated in doping case from 2022

Mathias Flückiger has been exonerated of any anti-doping rule violations relating to an adverse analytical result from 2022.

The Swiss rider tested positive for traces of zeranol on June 5, 2022 just before winning the World Cup in Leogang.

Following the result, Flückiger was provisionally suspended, missing the European and World Championships and the final World Cup round in 2022.

Four months later, Swiss Olympic lifted the ban, ruling that the finding should have been classified as 'atypical' rather than positive as the amount in his sample was below the detection threshold and should not have triggered a provisional suspension.

"It is an intermediate success towards justice and truth," Flückiger wrote on Instagram after the suspension was lifted.

"But unfortunately the case is not yet closed. The constant uncertainty, the months of waiting, the unfounded accusations must finally come to an end.

"I thank all those who have supported me in this extremely difficult time and all those who have not prejudged me!"

Zeranol is banned by WADA under the class anabolic steroids but is not approved for use in humans, rather it is a veterinary drug used as a growth promoter in livestock.

Flückiger was able to convince the Swiss anti-doping authorities that his doping test result could have reasonably come from food contamination through hair analysis and a normal steroid profile in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). Doping controls taken six days before and five days after showed no traces of the drug.

While the 35-year-old was allowed to continue competing, he was not fully cleared of any anti-doping rule violations until Friday.

The ruling opens the door for Flückiger to return to the Olympic Games after taking the silver medal behind Tom Pidcock in Tokyo.

Both riders will compete in the World Cup in Nove Mesto this weekend.