Two-time swimming world champion Filippo Magnini was cleared of doping and had his four-year ban annulled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday.
“I WON. The TAS acquitted me from any kind of accusation,” Magnini wrote in a celebratory message on Instagram. “It has always been like this, I have always won races in the last few meters. They taught me never to give up. I have always been an athlete and a correct person. I tremble with joy.”
Italy's anti-doping agency banned the retired swimmer in 2018, finding him guilty of using and attempting to use banned substances.
Magnini had been linked to nutritionist Guido Porcellini, who was banned for 30 years for distributing illegal drugs.
However, a CAS panel determined there was “insufficient evidence” in the case.
Magnini, who won the 100-meter freestyle at the 2005 and 2007 world championships and a relay bronze at the 2004 Olympics, never tested positive and maintains he never doped. He was an outspoken critic of doping throughout his career, having taken part in an "I am doping free" initiative.
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