The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has confirmed that the doping case against Irish Olympic show jumper Jessica Kürten has been dropped.
Kürten's solicitor, Dr Ulf Walz, was informed in a one-paragraph fax from the FEI's Lausanne headquarters yesterday morning that following the negative result on the B sample from the mare Libertina, "no further action will be taken in the case".
"I'm very relieved because it's proved that we haven't done anything wrong," Kürten told The Irish Times yesterday.
"The goal has been achieved, but if we hadn't sent Dr Bigler as a witnessing analyst, we wouldn't have known what was going on."
Dr Laurent Bigler was present when the mare's B sample, which had been taken at the Canadian Nations Cup fixture in Calgary, was opened at the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory (HFL) in Newmarket.
Dr Bigler subsequently produced photographic evidence that the container had leaked.
Analysis of the B sample at the HFL revealed no trace of the prohibited substances, caffeine and theophylline, which had allegedly been found in the A sample.
"It's obviously very disappointing and shocking when you see what's going on behind the scenes," Kürten continued. "I think it has shocked a lot of people. There were many people who thought 'oh, she's another doper', but now they're coming up to me and saying well done.
"I am surprised it came back so quickly. I thought they'd stew on it, but I think they realised they were in a hole and thought they'd better end it," she said.
Kürten, who has spent close to €25,000 on clearing her name, is now considering whether she should take legal action to recoup her costs.