Soriano’s 50-metre goal brightens up Europa league 44 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2014 FEBRUARY SATURDAY, SportsSports KRASNAYA POLYANA: Women’s ski cross gold medalist Marielle Thompson of Canada (right) celebrates on the podium with silver medalist and compatriot Kelsey Serwa (left) at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, at the 2014 Winter Olympics yesterday. — AP Sochi Games hit by doping shock SOCHI: A German athlete at the Winter Olympics, reportedly a for years has prided itself on its tough anti-doping fight. The night on her Facebook page that she had not been included in double gold-medal winning female biathlete, has failed a dop- IOC confirmed the content of the German statement but said the women’s biathlon relay yesterday. She has written no more ing test in the first such case of the 2014 Sochi Games, officials no further information would be given until the investigation is public messages since. “It is sad for all of us and a shock,” the said yesterday. The German Olympic Sports Confederation over. head coach of Germany’s national cross country team Frank (DOSB) said it had been informed by the International Olympic Sachenbacher-Stehle, 33, spent most of her long career as a Ullrich told AFP’s German sports subsidiary SID. Committee (IOC) that the “A” sample “of a member of the cross country skier before switching last season to biathlon, The last Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010 produced only German Olympic team produced a result that diverged from which mixes both cross country skiing and shooting. It was as a one positive doping test in the course of the Games. Olympics the norm”. cross country skier that she won gold in the 4x5 km relay in the chiefs believe they are winning in the fight against doping, The “B” sample is to be tested yesterday while the IOC’s dis- Salt Lake City Games of 2002 and then gold in the team sprint after the Salt Lake City Games of 2002 and the Turin Games of ciplinary commission will meet to discuss the issue, the DOSB in Vancouver 2010. Sachenbacher-Stehle already hit controver- 2006 produced seven positive tests apiece. The IOC, which said in a statement on its website. It gave no details on the sy at the Turin Olympics of 2006 when she and several other oversees drug testing at the Olympic Games, is carrying out name or sport of the athlete, or whether the test had been car- athletes were given a five-day ban from competition due to almost 2,500 drug tests at Sochi 2014 with an extra emphasis ried out at the Games or before. Bur Germany’s ARD public tel- excessive levels of haemogloblin. on out-of-competition tests. The Russian team was hit by a evision channel named the athlete as biathlete Evi She argued that the finding was due to a genetic condition major scandal on the eve of the Sochi Games when one of its Sachenbacher-Stehle, who has won two gold medals at previ- and not due to doping. At Sochi 2014, Sachenbacher-Stehle’s top female biathletes, Irina Starykh, withdrew from the ous Olympic Games. The news that a well known athlete has best results were fourth place in the women’s mass start and Olympics when an “A” sample tested positive for an unspeci- failed a doping test has caused shock waves in Germany, which also fourth place in the women’s relay. She had announced last fied banned substance. — AFP .