Figure skating - Down but not out, Kostner determined to pen her own ending

Figure Skating - ISU World Championships 2017 - Ladies Short Program - Helsinki, Finland - 29/3/17 - Carolina Kostner of Italy competes. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX336GU

HELSINKI (Reuters) - When Carolina Kostner was slapped with a lengthy ban in 2015 for attempting to cover up her ex-boyfriend Alex Schwazer's use of illegal performance-enhancing substances, it seemed that her career had come to an inglorious end.

However, the enforced time out from the sport only served to deepen Kostner's passion for figure skating and now aged 30, the Italian was back competing at the world championships on Wednesday.