Five Russian walkers banned and Therese Johaug tests positive
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 13/10/16 4:43pm
Five Russian race walkers have been banned for four years over doping offences while one of Norway's leading cross-country skiers has returned a positive test.
Elmira Alembekova, women's European 20km champion in Zurich in 2014, Viktor Noskov and Denis Strelkov, who won bronze medals at the same championships, 2013 world 50km silver medalist Mikhail Rozlov and former European 20km bronze medalist Vera Sokolova have all been sanctioned.
The bans were confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday and relate to positive tests for the banned substance EPO, taken at the Saransk race walking centre in Russia in June 2015.
All five had been provisionally suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) last year.
Noskov, Ryzhov, Sokolova and Strelkov are banned for four years from July 15 2016 with Alembekova's ban backdated to July 17.
They were all trained by Viktor Chegin, who was banned for life in February 2016 from all sport-related activities after more than 20 athletes under his tutelage were disqualified for doping offences.
A CAS statement read: "The panel found that the athletes had each committed an ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violation) and that a four-year period of ineligibility was appropriate in the circumstances, given that it was a first offence and that the athletes did not establish that the anti-doping rule violations were not intentional, nor even adduced any evidence or explanation regarding the origin of the r-EPO in their urine samples or their usage of this Prohibited Substance, which meant that there was no basis to either eliminate or reduce the period of ineligibility."
Norwegian cross-country skier Therese Johaug is waiting to find out if she will face any sanctions after learning she had failed a doping test.
Johaug, a gold medalist at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in September but the Norwegian ski federation said she had been unaware it was contained in a lip cream she used to treat burns during a training session in Italy.
National team doctor Fredrik Bendiksen took responsibility for the failed test and announced his immediate resignation from the role on Thursday.
"I'm devastated to find myself in this situation which I find extremely complicated and surreal," said Johaug. "I find it unfair and unjustified even if, of course, I'm aware as an athlete I'm responsible for the substances I use."
