Russia's Zaripova could lose Olympic medal

A two-year doping ban will like cost Russia's Olympic steeplechase champion Yulia Zaripova the gold medal she won in London in 2012.

Olympic steeplechase champion Yulia Zaripova could be stripped of the gold medal she won at the London Games after the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on Friday banned her for doping.

Zaripova, 28, was suspended for 30 months from July 25, 2013, for abnormal indexes in the haematological profile of her biological passport.

Her results from June 20 until August 20, 2011 and from June 3 to September 3, 2012 were all cancelled, meaning she will likely be stripped of her 2012 Olympic gold medal.

Russian heptathlete Tatiana Chernova was also banned for two years by RUSDA from June 22, 2013.

Chernova, 26, tested positive at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2009 for the banned anabolic steroid turanabol.

Her results from August 15, 2009 until August 14 2011 were also cancelled.

Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said the two bans proved that the existing system of doping controls was working despite a series of scandals.

"Of course we're very upset with our top athletes' doping violations," said Mutko in a statement.

"On the other hand it shows that the system of doping control in our country works well.

"We work hard to protect the young generation of honest athletes, to show them that every doping offence will be sooner or later penalised."

Earlier this month London Olympic 50 kilometre walk champion Sergei Kirdyapkin was banned along with Olga Kaniskina and Valery Borchin, who won the women's and men's 20km respectively in Beijing 2008, also for abnormal indexes of haematological profiles in their biological passports.

The 2011 world champion in the 50km walk, Sergei Bakulin, was also banned.

Kirdyapkin, Kaniskina, who has already retired, and Bakulin were all banned for 38 months. Borchin was banned for eight years as a repeat offender.

Vladimir Kanaikin, silver medallist at the 2011 world championships and who has already served a two-year ban in 2008-10, was banned for life from December 17, 2012.

The series of recent doping scandals forced the country's Athletics Federation chief Valentin Balakhnichev to announce his readiness to resign from the post.

"I'd like to fulfill my obligations and to stay in charge until the end of all these scandals and investigations, but if the higher authorities decide that my resignation is required I'll definitely step down," ITAR-TASS agency quoted Balakhnichev as saying.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world