Doping violations took Russian Natalya Antyukh’s gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics in the 400m hurdles.
Russian hurdler Natalya Antyukh has been stripped off her gold medal from the 2012 London Olympic Games women’s 400-meter hurdles by the World Athletics’ Competition Department December 22 (yesterday).
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which oversees doping cases in track and field, notified the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about the ruling after they found Antyukh had refused to appeal her doping ban handed months ago.
Brett Clothier, the head of AIU, said it was committed to "clean and fair competition and results, even if a decade later."
"The integrity of the sport of athletics is our utmost priority and we are pleased, in this instance, that athletes who competed fairly at the highest level will ultimately be acknowledged as the rightful medal winners."
According to Economic Times, the AIU ruled in October that the 41-year-old athlete's results from July 2012 to June 2013 would stand disqualified because of using "a prohibited substance/method."
American Lashinda Demus will now be put in position to be named as the champion more than a decade after the race, while Zuzana Hejnová of the Czech Republic and Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica are in line to receive silver and bronze.
“I’m not afraid to say that I then deserve the official title, medal, recognition, and missed compensation that goes along with it all,” said Deymus in an email exchange with NBC Sports as reported by Times Union.
Before the results came out, Antyukh had already been serving a four-year maximum sanction for an initial violation under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules (ADR), and will face a ban until 2025.
Despite being dominant during the London Games, all three gold medals won on the track by Russian athletes have now officially been stripped off on doping grounds.
Mariya Savinova and Yuliya Zaripova, the initial winners of 800m and 3000m steeplechase gold, have been disqualified, while Ivan Ukhov’s high jump title and Tatyana Lysenko’s hammer victory in the field have also been disqualified.
Tags: #Doping, #Olympics, #Russians