Leading French Olympic fencer suspended over ‘abnormal’ doping test ahead of Paris Games

NOISY-LE-GRAND, France (AP) — One of France’s leading fencers has been suspended following an “abnormal” doping test result, less than six months before Paris hosts the Olympic Games.

Ysaora Thibus is a three-time Olympian in fencing and won the team foil silver medal at the last Olympics in Tokyo. She was the individual world champion in foil in 2022.

The French Fencing Federation said in a statement Friday that it had been informed that a sample given by Thibus on Jan. 14 produced an “abnormal” result. It didn’t name any substance. Thibus was provisionally suspended Thursday while the case is resolved.

The federation said Thibus denied intentionally taking a banned substance and “expressed total incomprehension, immense surprise and dismay” at the test result.