Former race walking champion set to lose Olympic gold medal
Russia’s Elena Lashmanova bites her gold medal on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women’s 20 kilometers walk at the 2013 IAAF World Championships at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on August 13, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER NEMENOV
Russian race walker Elena Lashmanova, the 2012 Olympic champion, has been banned for two years for doping and is set to lose her gold medal, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said Monday.
The 29-year-old won the 20km gold medal at the London Olympics and will also be stripped of her 2013 world championship title.
Article continues after this advertisement“Lashmanova has accepted the sanction proposed by the AIU,” the AIU said in a statement.
Lashmanova had already been suspended for two years in 2014 for doping, although that did not affect her previous medals.
She has not finished on the podium at a major championship since her first doping suspension.
Article continues after this advertisementLashmanova edged out compatriot Olga Kaniskina in the London 20km race walk with a then world record, although her teammate was later disqualified for doping, as was the original fourth-placed finisher, Anisya Kirdyapkina.
China’s Qieyang Shenjie, who crossed the line in third place 10 years ago, could now be awarded the gold medal.
