BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian hammer thrower Krisztian Pars, the 2012 Olympic champion, has been banned until July 2019 because of a doping violation.
According to the Hungarian Athletics Federation, a non-performance-enhancing substance was detected in a urine sample taken Jan. 13 in his home city of Szombathely.
The 36-year-old Pars said Tuesday that he is “indescribably ashamed” about the incident, blaming it on “a bad decision made during a very difficult time in my career and life.”
Pars, also a two-time European champion, has participated in four Olympic Games.
Officials accepted his argument that the banned substance got into his body during the offseason and that it does not have a positive effect on sporting performance.