Polish cyclist Daria Pikulik hasn't raced since March after 18-month ban, but she keeps her Paris Olympic medal.
Daria Pikulik, right, was hit with an 18-month whereabouts ban. (Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Updated October 19, 2026 05:20PM
Olympic silver medalist Daria Pikulik has been hit with an 18-month whereabouts ban, but will keep her Olympic medal, the International Testing Agency announced Monday.
The Polish rider’s ban ran from December 9, 2024, through June 8, 2026. All results and prizes during that period are disqualified, but there were no major victories.
Her Paris Olympic silver remains on her palmarès because she won it before the sanction period.
Pikulik finished behind American Jennifer Valente and ahead of New Zealand’s Ally Wollaston in the August 2024 omnium in Paris.
“It was never my intention to violate anti-doping rules,” Pikulik wrote in a statement on Instagram, translated from Polish.
The ITA, which runs the UCI’s independent anti-doping program, said Pikulik committed three whereabouts failures within 12 months.
Pikulik, 29, said the missed tests occurred in September and October 2023, followed by a third in September 2024.
“I spent the past two years trying to defend my good name,” she wrote.
Pikulik said the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against her in March 2026 without determining a sanction. She said the suspension was finalized in September.
The road and track rider, who raced for Human Powered Health, also addressed her absence from competition since March.
“This was an incredibly difficult time for me and those closest to me,” she wrote. “Throughout my career, I have undergone dozens of doping tests without any problems.
“However, I must accept what happened and put it behind me,” Pikulik wrote. “I apologize to everyone I have let down, and I thank everyone who stood by me during this time.”