Szabo cleared of doping offence

Szabo was thousands of miles away when the drugs were found

Olympic and world athletics champion Gabriela Szabo has been cleared of any doping offence after drugs were found in her car.

French police have revealed the products were for gynaecological problems.

Szabo was not in the vehicle when it was seized by French customs earlier this month.

The car was being driven by fellow Romanian Daniel Vlad, who was briefly detained after the discovery.

"It's a straightforward case of undeclared drugs. No doping substance was found so the case is dropped," said regional customs boss Maurice Ruel.

At the time of the discovery, Szabo, the 1,500m world champion and Olympic 5,000m gold medallist, was making her way from her South African winter training base.

She was heading to Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees for altitude training ahead of the world championships in August.

Authorities in France have been clamping down since 1998, when the Tour de France was torn apart by police raids and drugs seizures that landed several top riders in court.

Last year, French police arrested the wife of Lithuanian rider Raimondas Rumsas, who finished third in the Tour de France, with banned products in her car.

Edita Rumsas remained in custody for three months, but police were unable to prove the substances were meant for her husband.