Olympic cycling champion Jack Bobridge admits to taking drugs days before competitions

A Perth Olympic cyclist caught up in an undercover drug sting has dropped a cocaine bombshell in court.

Jack Bobridge has claimed he took recreational drugs with two Australian teammates just days before competing in events across Europe.

At the peak of his career, Bobridge competed in the Beijing, London and Rio De Janeiro Olympics and won four silver medals.

Today he was standing on a very different podium - the witness stand - where he denied dealing drugs two years after being caught up in a police sting.

The 29-year-old told the court he began partying a lot and taking cocaine and ecstasy, after moving to Europe to pursue a career in professional cycling. 

He became emotional as he described how had been diagnosed with arthritis and claimed he used recreational drugs for the pain.

Bobridge said things began to unravel after the Rio games, when he retired from cycling, and separated from the mother of his young daughter.

He said he began abusing drugs and alcohol and would take between 10 and 15 ecstasy pills on a big night out.

Grilled over his drug use under cross examination, Bobridge reluctantly admitted taking cocaine with two Australian teammates - days before competing in events in Europe - knowing the drug would likely have left his system.

The names of those athletes were suppressed in court.

Prosecutors accused Bobridge of concocting the story to cover up for a drug dealing plot he's accused of hatching with his friend Alex McGregor, who is now a star witness for the prosecution.

“Remember to keep last night all strictly between us bro,” one Facebook message he allegedly sent to McGregor said.

Bobridge denied the message was about a plan for the two of them to sell drugs, claiming he wanted McGregor to stay quiet about his cocaine use with other cyclists.