Yarnold says fight against doping has reached a 'turning point'
Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold thinks sport has reached a turning point in its fight against doping.
Yarnold has been an outspoken critic of Russian athletes and her sport’s response to allegations of cheating.
Last year her comments forced skeleton’s world governing body to move their World Championship from Sochi, with Yarnold vocal on the state-sponsored doping that went on there during the Games where she won her gold.
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This week she admitted she no longer looks at Russian slider and former friend Elena Nikitina in the eye – and welcomed the decision of the Court of Arbitration in Sport to exclude her from the Games after suggestions she cheated in 2014.
However, Yarnold believes more must still be done.
“This fight is only just beginning,” she said.
“I think the world of sport is in a real turning point at the moment with the fight against doping.
“We need to continue to stand by clean athletes and protect clean athletes. It doesn’t stop now. The IOC have made the right decision to not invite Russian athletes accused of doping. Allowing clean Russian athletes to compete is fair and I think the right thing to do as well.”
Yarnold admitted the situation has hit preparations for her title defence in recent months.
But she insists she’s now all focus ahead of the start of official training at the Olympic Sliding Centre on Tuesday.
“It has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster,” she said.
“I think I’d emotionally moved on a long time ago from the situation. There was nothing I could control, other than being frustrated and not knowing which way the situation was going to go.
“I made the decision a little while ago just to focus on myself, my own competition, and trust in the decisions that those people in those positions will make the right decisions.”
Watch Lizzy Yarnold at 11.20am on Friday 16th February on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport Player. Don’t miss a moment of the Olympic Winter Games on Eurosport and Eurosport Player. Go to www.Eurosport.co.uk
