Cross-country skiing-Olympic gold medallist Carl handed 18-month ban after failed doping test

April 2 : Olympic gold medal-winning cross-country skier Victoria Carl has been handed an 18-month suspension by the German Sports Arbitration Court following a positive test for banned substance clenbuterol last year, Germany's anti-doping agency said on Thursday.

The ban, which takes into account the 30-year-old's provisional suspension after failing an out-of-competition doping test, will end on November 25. The ruling can be appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Carl, who won gold in the team sprint and silver in the relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics, missed this year's Milano Cortina Games.

Germany's ski association had called for Carl's acquittal in June, saying that a medicine containing the banned substance was mistakenly delivered to her and the case was packed by untrained personnel.

Carl argued that she did not know that the cough medicine prescribed to her contained the banned substance.