Belarus shot putter Ostapchuk banned for one year

Minsk, Sep 11 - Belarus shot putter Nadezhda Ostapchuk, who had her Olympic title stripped in London for failing a drug test, received a one-year ban Tuesday.

Ostapchuk won the gold at 2012 London Olympic Games with the best mark of 21.36 metres but was later disqualified for testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid, reports Xinhua.

Alexander Vanhadlo, head of Belarus’ anti-doping agency, said the 31-year-old veteran only received a one-year ban because she did not know she was using drugs in the first place.

Alexander Yefimov, coach of Ostapchuk, was banned for four years as he deliberately added the banned substance into Ostapchuk’s food without her knowledge.

“Yefimov confessed that he added the banned drug metenolone into Ostapchuk’s food because he was worried by her unimpressive results ahead of the Olympics,” Vanhadlo said.

“Yefimov said that he did it at the training base in Belarus just days before the start of the Games without Ostapchuk’s knowledge.”

The women’s shot put gold medal was awarded to Valerie Adams of New Zealand while former third finisher Yevgeniya Kolodko earned the silver instead.

China’s Gong Lijiao, therefore, managed to cruise to the podium with a bronze.

Ostapchuk was competing in her third Olympics in London. She finished fourth in Athens in 2004 and won bronze in Beijing four years ago.