Russian curler Aleksandr Krushelnitckii, banned for doping at Pyeongchang 2018, plans to resume his curling career as his suspension officially ended today ©Getty Images

Russian curler Aleksandr Krushelnitckii has confirmed his intention to return to the sport after the conclusion of his four-year doping ban today.

Krushelnitckii and his wife Anastasia Bryzgalova had initially won bronze medal for the Olympic Athletes from Russia team at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

The pair were stripped of their mixed doubles medals as a result of Krushelnitckii’s positive test for heart-attack drug meldonium at the Games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) anti-doping division banned Krushelnitckii for four years, despite claims from Russia that the curler had been the victim of contamination.

This followed the Russian withdrawing an appeal, which reportedly was part of an agreement to allow Russia to march at the Closing Ceremony of the Games in South Korea.

The sanction concludes today, with the four-year ban having ruled him our of competing at Beijing 2022, as well as losing the result from Pyeongchang 2018.

Krushelnitckii told Russia's official state news agency TASS that he had grieved over losing the Pyeongchang 2018 medal, but is ready to return to the sport.

"Yes, I plan to return," the 29-year-old Krushelnitckii told them.

“Now I officially had two months to train.

“I don’t have any emotions anymore, I grieved over the last Olympic Games.

“Everything is already in the past.

“I have ambitions to return to the previous level, but for four years I didn’t have opportunities to spar, it's not clear how things will go.

“The first competition will show how fit I am.”

Aleksandr Krushelnitckii and Anastasia Bryzgalova were stripped of their Pyeongchang 2018 bronze medals over the offence ©Getty Images
Aleksandr Krushelnitckii and Anastasia Bryzgalova were stripped of their Pyeongchang 2018 bronze medals over the offence ©Getty Images

Krushelnitckii was one of two athletes representing the OAR team to fail drugs tests at Pyeongchang 2018.

Russian bobsleigh athlete Nadezhda Sergeeva accepted an eight-month suspension in October 2018 following her positive test for trimetazidine, a drug usually used to treat angina.

Trimetazidine has seen the Russian Olympic Committee come under the spotlight at Beijing 2022, with 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva having tested positive for the same substance.

Valieva provided the sample on December 25, with the positive test confirmed on February 8 leading to her being provisionally suspended.

The International Testing Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency are leading appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Valieva’s provisional suspension was lifted by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.