Armstrong wins drug slur case

2006-06-30 21:05

London - Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong says he's "extremely happy" after settling a legal dispute with British newspaper the Sunday Times.

Earlier in the day, Armstrong, a seven-times Tour de France winner, won a preliminary ruling in his libel case with the newspaper that had claimed he used performance-enhancing drugs.

But following the High Court's decision, Armstrong and the Sunday Times issued a joint statement revealing they had settled the dispute out of court.

Armstrong said: "I'm extremely happy about this judgement which is the latest in a series of judgements in my favour.

"I have always said the article wrongly accused me of doping. The article was based on false allegations, without any substance, taken from a book published solely in France."

Armstrong had been suing the Sunday Times over an article that he claimed would lead readers to suspect he had taken drugs.

The allegations were printed in 2004 in a review of a book called LA Confidential, The Secrets of Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong denies taking drugs

The Sunday Times insisted the article merely raised fresh questions about the cyclist, but high court judge Gray supported Armstrong and said the article "does bear the meaning for which Armstrong contends."

Armstrong retired from cycling last year and has denied taking drugs such as EPO to help him compete at the top level.

He was cleared last month by investigators of taking banned substances at his first Tour victory in 1999.

However, he has still been dogged by doping allegations and only last week French newspaper L'Equipe printed transcripts from a case against him in America.

L'Equipe claimed Armstrong had told a doctor treating him for cancer in 1996 that he had previously taken the banned blood booster EPO, testosterone, growth hormones and cortisone - something the rider denies.

It also quoted former Tour de France winner Greg LeMond as saying that Armstrong had threatened him for criticising his compatriot over Armstrong's association with a doctor implicated in doping affairs.

This year's Tour de France, due to get underway on Saturday, is under another doping cloud as 58 riders, including favourites Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich, were implicated in a blood doping scandal that has rocked Spain.

Four riders, including Basso and Ullrich, were subsequently suspended by their teams and will miss the Tour.

- AFP