November 18, 2009 - Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin (Serramenti PVC) will have to surrender the silver medal he won at the Beijing Olympic road race in 2008 reports AFP, citing the UCI. This is due to a retrospective doping test done in April 2009 on Rebellin's samples from the August 2008 race and which showed traces of EPO (erythropoietin) Cera, a banned substance that boosts red blood cell counts.
Rebellin finished second in the race, behind Spaniard Samuel Sanchez but ahead of Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara in third and Russian Alexandre Kolobnev in fourth. Cancellara will now be awarded the silver and Kolobnev the bronze.
The UCI has also asked the Italian federation to initiate procedures, presumably towards a suspension, against the 38-year-old Rebellin nicknamed "Tintin." He has many major career wins, including the 2008 Paris Nice.
More info (in French) here.
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Photo: Cor Vos file photo
David Rebellin
Photo: Cor Vos file photo
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