johann mhlegg

Johann Mühlegg is a German-born top level cross-country skier who has competed in several international competitions representing Spain after becoming a Spanish citizen in 1999. He was excluded and disqualified from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City due to doping. Mhlegg participated for Germany in the 1992, 1994, and 1998 Winter Olympics, though he began having trouble with the country's ski federation in 1993, ultimately leading to his departure from the national team after the 1998 Games. His good relations with members of the Spanish cross-country skiing team, in particular Juan Jess Gutierrez and Haritz Zunzunegui, opened the door for Mhlegg to obtain a Spanish citizenship. In late 1999, competing for Spain, he won a World Cup race for the first time. Three years later in Lahti he won two medals: one silver (stepping up when the original medalist was disqualified for nandrolone use), and one gold (in the 50 km freestyle race). In the 2002 Winter Olympics Mhlegg won gold medals in the 30 km freestyle and 10 km pursuit races, the successes gaining him congratulations from King Juan Carlos of Spain. Mhlegg finished first in the 50 km classical race held on the final Saturday of the Games, February 23, but was disqualified from that race and was expelled from the Games the next day, after testing positive for darbepoetin¹ (a medicine which boosts red blood cell count; the substance was not banned at the time since it had only recently been developed). Following the darbepoetin scandal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) initially let Mhlegg keep his gold medals from the first two races, but in December 2003 a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found that these medals should also be withdrawn. The CAS remitted this case as well as a similar one involving Olga Danilova of Russia to the IOC Executive Board, which confirmed the rulings in February 2004. See also: Cross-country skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics

Notes

Traces of darbepoetin were found in a random urine test February 21. Before the 50 km race on February 23, a random test for hemoglobin levels found Mühlegg above the limit; a second test five minutes later was below the limit, and he was allowed to compete. At the end of the race he came on extremely strong (and, as was later shown, unnaturally strong) to beat Mikhail Ivanov of Russia by 14.9 seconds.

Muhlegg, Johann

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