Russian jumper Klishina cleared to compete

Russian long jumper Darya Klishina has won an appeal and been cleared to compete as a neutral athlete.

(Reuters)

Russian long jumper Darya Klishina has been cleared to compete internationally as a neutral athlete after a successful appeal against a blanket ban on her country's track and field athletes for systematic doping.

Athletics' world governing body (IAAF) banned Russia's track and field athletes last year after a World Anti-Doping Agency report uncovered systematic state-sponsored doping within the country.

The ban was extended last month, which ruled the country's athletes out of next month's Rio Olympics though the All-Russian Athletics Federation has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Individual Russian athletes, however, could apply to the IAAF for exemptions to compete as "neutral athlete" if they could prove they were not involved in the system and were subjected to drug tests outside the country.

Klishina's was one of 136 appeals to the IAAF under the neutral athlete provisions and most of the applications had been reviewed, the governing body added. It did not give details on the outcome of those appeals.

The 25-year-old Klishina's best performance at a senior global event was fourth at the world indoor championships in Istanbul in 2012. She has finished seventh twice at the world outdoor championships, in 2013 in Moscow and in 2014 in Sopot.

She was 10th at last year's world championships in Beijing.