ROME - Former figure skating world champion Carolina Kostner claimed she had nothing to do with doping by her former boyfriend and Olympic race walking gold medallist Alex Schwazer during an exhausting four-hour hearing Friday.Having failed to show up last week before the Italian Olympic Committees anti-doping prosecutor, Kostner was finally asked about reports that she told judicial officials that she helped Schwazer evade a test and knew he used a banned altitude machine.Carolina cleared up all the doubts there were to clear up and I think the anti-doping prosecutor was very satisfied on all accounts, said Giovanni Fontana, Kostners lawyer. She didnt cover up anything for anyone. Carolina is extraneous from the entire case.Kostner, who was also accompanied by another lawyer and her manager to the hearing inside the Stadio Olimpico offices, exited by a backdoor and did not speak with reporters.Shes used to a completely different type of attention and thats why we thought that after four hours she should rest up a bit, Fontana said.Schwazer, who won the 50-kilometre walk at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was excluded from the 2012 London Olympics after testing positive for EPO before the games.Prosecutors believe coaches and doctors knew that Schwazer was doping long before he tested positive, possibly dating to Beijing. He was banned by CONI for 3 1/2 years in April 2013.Kostner risks a ban of up to four years from all sports activities in Italy and abroad for aiding and failing to report Schwazers doping. A ban would also prevent her from appearing in non-competitive events or shows worldwide that are supported by the International Skating Union, CONI said.Kostner, the 2014 Olympic bronze medallist and 2012 world champion, is taking this year off from competition.The 27-year-old Kostner has also won two silvers and three bronzes at the worlds, and is a five-time European champion. It remains unclear if she could be banned retroactively and be stripped of medals.Kostner has absolutely nothing to do with doping, Fontana said. Its not like she won her medals because she told the anti-doping inspectors that Schwazer was not home that day.Schwazer failed an out-of-competition test before arriving in London and was removed from Italys team before competing. He admitted using the blood-boosting hormone EPO, and said he was quitting the sport.Schwazer also admitted to consulting with Lance Armstrongs banned sport doctor, Michele Ferrari.Kostner has acknowledged accompanying Schwazer for a visit to Ferraris mobile office in 2010, although she maintains that she did not know he doped.That was an entirely sporadic instance, Fontana said. She saw him only once and she didnt even know his name was Dr. Michele Ferrari. She thought he was a physical trainer because they talked about training data and stuff like that.However, recently published reports of Kostners testimony to Bolzano prosecutors showed she allegedly admitted to lying to inspectors from the World Anti-Doping Agency who came to her home in Germany looking for Schwazer on July 29, 2012 — days before Schwazer flew to London for the Olympics.Fontana said Kostner told inspectors Schwazer wasnt home to respect his privacy, because on his WADA whereabouts form for that day he had listed that he would available in Italy at a different time.Ultimately, the WADA inspectors caught up with Schwazer and thats when he tested positive.There cant be any rules violation because he was found, tested and resulted positive, Fontana said.Kostner also allegedly told the prosecutors about the altitude chamber, adding that the noise it produced at night prompted her to sleep with ear plugs.While altitude simulation chambers are not banned by WADA, they are illegal in Italy.But Fontana said Schwazer used the machine in Germany and that it also helped with breathing problems such as asthma.After reviewing Kostners testimony and perhaps more hearings with others, CONI prosecutors Tammaro Maiello and Mario Vigna will recommend a sentence. Then the case will be decided by CONIs internal doping court.___Andrew Dampf can be followed at
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Lack replaced an injured Roberto Luongo late in the first period then watched defenceman Chris Tanev score the winning goal midway through the third as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Jets 2-1 in a tight NHL game.CHICAGO - Jon Lester insisted theres no reason the Chicago Cubs cant contend next year and even capture their first World Series title since 1908, around the time the Model T was rolling off the assembly line.Im going in with the intention of winning in 2015, he said.The Cubs are, too.This signing really marks the start of a transition for the Cubs, the start of a period where we are clearly very serious about winning the World Series, President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said Monday, when the team and Lester finalized a $155 million, six-year contract. The deal, agreed to during the winter meetings last week, set baseball records for largest signing bonus and biggest upfront payment.Chicago hired one of the games top managers in Joe Maddon, then added Lester, a three-time All-Star who won two World Series with Boston.Were not hiding the ball, Epstein said. The fact that we havent won in so long helps define who we are. ... I think it attracts players who arent afraid of that challenge and want to be here for the right reasons. It definitely attracted Jon Lester.Lester receives a record $30 million signing bonus, of which $15 million is due by April 1, $2.5 million each by Dec. 31 in 2018 and 2019, and a final $10 million installment by Sept. 15, 2020.He gets salaries of $15 million next year, $20 million each in 2016 and 2017, $22.5 apiece in 2018 and 2019 and $15 million in 2020. There is a $25 million mutual option for 2021 with a $10 million buyout, and the option would become guaranteed if Lester pitches 200 or more innings in 2020 or 400 or more in 2020-21 combined.Lesters deal includes a hotel suite on the road, a provision that he cant be traded without his consent and the right to 25 hours of private-plane use for him and his family annually.His wife and two young children joined him at Restaurant Spiaggia along with other family members and agents Sam and Seth Levinson. His 4-year-old son Hudson took a seat on his lap during the news conference.The no-trade clause is a break from the norm for Epstein. He said the Cubs initially resisted but conceded because it would have been difficult to land Lester without one, particularly after he was dealt from Boston to Oakland last July.Epstein also acknowledged the deal carries a risk for the Cubs, considering Lester turns 31 next month.I know exactly what shoulder program hes been on since he was 18, Epstein said. I know how well hes executed that shoulder program. How diligent hes been. I know what his MRIs look like. I alrready signed him to a contract extension in the past; that comes with MRIs.ddddddddddddHis work ethic didnt change one bit. His passion didnt change one bit after signing that first contract.The fact that hes a lefty is another plus to Epstein, and he thinks Lester can pitch well deep into his 30s like former Yankee Andy Pettitte.Left-handed pitchers in this bucket tend to perform throughout their contracts better than right-handed pitchers, Epstein said. Hes got the right amount of pitch mix that will allow him to age gracefully because he doesnt get hitters out just one way.A total of 1,686 players have appeared for the Cubs since Orval Overall retired Detroits Boss Schmidt for the final out of the 1908 World Series, according to STATS, and all have failed to bring another title to the North Side.Lester hopes he and a promising core of young players can end the slide along with Maddon, who left Tampa Bay for a $25 million, five-year contract with the Cubs.When you make a statement like bringing in Joe Maddon, that adds to the decision-making, makes it that much more interesting, he said.Lester went 16-11 with a career-best 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts last season and is 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA in nine big league seasons. He also had been sought by the Red Sox, World Series champion San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers.Lester is headed to a team that hasnt made the playoffs since 2008, but he knows Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and senior vice-president of player development and amateur scouting Jason McLeod from their time together in Boston. He had a chance to talk to pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel about the Cubs after they got traded to Oakland. He also spoke with Ryan Dempster, his teammate in Boston and now a member of Chicagos front office.Lester will be joining a rotation that includes Hammel, who agreed to a $20 million, two-year contract last week. The Cubs also acquired two-time All-Star catcher Miguel Montero from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the winter meetings and have a pending $4.5 million, one-year agreement with reliever Jason Motte.Lester has worn No. 31 for most of his career, but the Cubs retired that number in honour of Greg Maddux and Fergie Jenkins. Hell wear Kerry Woods old No. 34 in Chicago — with Woods blessing, according to Epstein.Its always been one of my favourite numbers other than No. 31, said Lester, who pointed out that Nolan Ryan and Chicago Bears great Walter Payton also wore 34. I just feel like it was a good fit. ' ' '
