OSLO, Norway (AP) — Defending cross-country World Cup overall champion Therese Johaug was handed a two-month provisional suspension Wednesday pending a full investigation into her positive doping test.
Johaug, one of Norway’s most decorated female cross-country skiers, tested positive for the steroid clostebol. The Norwegian ski federation said the drug came from a lotion given to her by team doctor Fredrik Bendiksen to treat sunburn on her lips during high-altitude training in Italy in August.
In a tear-filled news conference last week, Johaug insisted she was without guilt and said Bendiksen had assured her the lotion did not contain any banned substance.