Lance Armstrong's reputation may be in tatters but in the eyes of cricketer Yuvraj Singh, the American cyclist still remains a "hero".
"Lance continues to be my hero. As a cancer survivor, I know it is difficult to come back and perform. I don't know how they banned him but he
will always be an inspiration to me," said Yuvraj at Rashtrapati Bhavan after receiving the Arjuna Award from President Pranab Mukherjee.
Armstrong was stripped off his seven Tour de France titles after the American cyclist announced last week that he would no longer fight the doping allegations.
During his battle with cancer in the US, Yuvraj drew inspiration from the cycling legend, who was given less than 40% survival chance at the time of his cancer diagnosis.
The cyclist had also visited Yuvraj in Boston, where the cricketer underwent treatment.
"Whatever the consequences will be in his case, he will always be my hero," added Yuvraj.