Canada's Laurence Vincent Lapointe paddles her way to a gold medal in the women's C1 200m canoe race at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Welland, Ont., Tuesday, July 14, 2015. An anti-doping panel has cleared Canadian canoeist Laurence Vincent Lapointe to return to training and competition. The panel convened by the International Canoe Federation made the decision after it accepted that Vincent Lapointe did not knowingly take Ligandrol. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Lynett

Canoe federation clears Laurence Vincent Lapointe for competition

The International Canoe Federation has cleared Canadian sprint canoeist Laurence Vincent Lapointe for a return to competition.

“After taking into consideration scientific expert evidence provided by Ms Vincent Lapointe’s legal team, and also the miniscule traces of ligandrol found in the athlete’s sample, the ICF has accepted that Ms Vincent Lapointe did not knowingly take the illegal substance,” the ICF said in a statement on their website.

The ICF had suspended Vincent Lapointe after trace amounts of Ligandrol were found in a sample provided by the canoeist in July 2019. Ligandrol is used to treat muscle wasting and osteoporosis, and is banned in and out of competition by the World Anti Doping agency because it has a anabolic steroid effect.

According to an article from RCI last summer, Vincent Lapointe’s lawyer, Adam Klevinas, claimed that the violation was not intentional, and could have been in her system through a contaminated substance.

The ICF said that they have accepted evidence that supports the claim that Vincent Lapointe was indeed a victim of third-party contamination.

“We are thrilled that Laurence was cleared of any wrong-doing and can return to training with the team in Florida,” said CKC Chief Executive Officer, Casey Wade in a statement. “This has been a very difficult period for Laurence, her partner Katie Vincent and the entire team of paddlers who have demonstrated such strength and tenacity over the last five months.”

“We look forward to building our momentum as a team to podium success in Tokyo,” he added.

Vincent Lapointe will begin training to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where the women’s sprint canoe competition will make its debut.

With files from The Canadian Press. 

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