Kissing contamination defence clears French Olympic fencer Thibus in doping appeal case

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French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus was cleared of a doping allegation Monday because the judges accepted she was contaminated by kissing her American partner over a period of nine days.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling echoed a verdict clearing another French athlete with a similar defense in a doping allegation — tennis player Richard Gasquet in the celebrated “cocaine kiss” case in 2009.

CAS said in the Thibus case its judging panel dismissed an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which asked for her to be banned for four years.

Thibus tested positive for the anabolic substance ostarine in January 2024. She was later cleared by an International Fencing Federation tribunal weeks before the Paris Olympics, which let her compete there.

WADA challenged the explanation that Thibus was contaminated “through kissing with her then partner, who had been using a product containing ostarine without her knowledge,” CAS said.

The court said Monday “it is scientifically established that the intake of an ostarine dose similar to the dose ingested by Ms Thibus’ then partner would have left sufficient amounts of ostarine in the saliva to contaminate a person through kissing.”

The CAS judges “accepted that Ms. Thibus’ then-partner was taking ostarine from Jan. 5, 2024, and that there was contamination over nine days with a cumulative effect.”

Her partner at the time was Race Imboden, a two-time Olympic fencing bronze medalist for the United States.

Thibus, a silver medalist for France in women’s team foil at the Tokyo Olympics, placed fifth at that event in Paris and 28th in the women’s individual foil.