Former Boston Marathon winner Lidiya Grigoryeva banned

Former Boston Marathon winner Lidiya Grigoryeva has been banned for two-and-a-half years for doping.

The IAAF says the 42-year-old Russian, who won the Boston Marathon in 2007 and the Chicago Marathon in 2008, was banned under the biological passport programme, which tracks suspicious blood parameters over a long period.

Grigoryeva was also a European bronze medallist in the 10,000 meters in 2006. She does not lose any major titles or medals.

The IAAF also announced a ban of two years for another Russian, distance runner Alyona Kudashkina. She is reportedly a former pupil of Viktor Chegin, a coach linked to more than 25 doping cases, mostly in race-walking.

There is a four-year ban for Russian middle-distance runner Larisa Kleimenova, who tested positive at last year's Russian relay championships.