Russian heptathlete loses 2008 Olympic bronze medal for doping
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Russian heptathlete Tatyana Chernova has been stripped of her 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medal for doping with an anabolic steroid.
Chernova’s urine sample revealed traces of turinabol in a retesting program of Beijing and 2012 London Olympics athletes, the International Olympic Committee said on Monday.
In a previous doping case involving the steroid, Chernova lost her 2012 Olympic bronze medal and was also stripped of the 2011 world title, which went to Jessica Ennis-Hill of Britain.
Another British athlete, Kelly Sotherton, who originally placed fifth in the Beijing heptathlon, could now be upgraded to bronze. The second-place finisher in Beijing, Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine, was disqualified during the games for doping.
The IAAF can impose an additional ban on the 29-year-old Chernova, who is already barred from competition.
Chernova’s is the 18th Russian doping case from the Beijing Olympic revealed in a re-testing program that has mostly relied on improved detection of steroids. Turinabol can be identified if it was used several weeks before a urine sample was given instead of just several days by the test used in 2008.
“Such a significant extension of the detection window is the obvious explanation for the unfortunately spectacular and unprecedented high number of positive cases which were revealed,” the IOC disciplinary panel said in its published judgment.
A total of 41 medals from Beijing have been stripped after retesting, mostly from athletics and weightlifting.
In another Russian case involving turinabol announced on Monday, the IOC disqualified runner Maksim Dyldin from the 400-meter individual and relay events at the London Olympics. He ranked 17th and fifth, respectively.
Though Dyldin did not win a medal, the IOC ordered reanalysis of all Russian athletes’ samples based on evidence of a state-backed doping program detailed by Canadian investigator Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Britain’s Sotherton also placed fifth in the 4×400-meter relay at Beijing and could be upgraded to bronze in that event due to doping by the Russia and Belarus teams.
