Daria Pikulik accepts 18-month anti-doping ban

Polish Olympic silver medalist Daria Pikulik has accepted an 18-month retrospective ban following three whereabouts failures. The sanction, issued by the International Testing Agency (ITA) under UCI anti-doping rules, covers the period from December 9, 2024, to June 8, 2026.

Pikulik did not contest the violation, which involves failing to meet the requirements for out-of-competition testing rather than testing positive for prohibited substances. The athlete explained that two failures occurred in late 2023, while a third occurred in September 2024 due to an oversight amid an increased workload.

In a statement, Pikulik apologized to those disappointed by the case, asserting that it was never her intention to violate anti-doping regulations. The disqualification applies to all her competitive results between the dates of the ineligibility period.