Russian discus medalist handed 10-year ban

MOSCOW (AFP) –

Russian discus thrower Daria Pishchalnikova competes at the 2012 London Olympic Games, on August 4, 2012. Pishchalnikova is set to be stripped of her silver medal after she received a 10-year ban for a second doping violation.

Olympics discus silver medallist Daria Pishchalnikova is set to be stripped of her London 2012 medal after the Russian received a 10-year ban for a second doping violation on Tuesday.

Samples provided by the 2006 European champion on May 20 last year in out-of-competition testing contained the banned substance oxandrolone, the Russian athletics federation announced.

The results of the 27-year-old athlete, who was already banned for two years shortly before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, were cancelled from May 20, 2012 till November 2, 2012, the federation statement said.

Pishchalnikova is one of a number of high-profile Russian athletes to be banned for doping in recent months as the sports authorities seek to show they have a strong anti-drugs line ahead of the World Athletics Championships to be hosted by Moscow in August.

The sheer number of Russian athletes, also including 2004 Olympic hammer champion Olga Kuzenkova, to be banned has prompted calls in some quarters for Moscow to be stripped of its right to host the championships.

But Russian athletics federation chief Valentin Balakhnichev told AFP in an interview last month that Russia had dramatically changed its approach in the fight against doping and as a result more cheats were being exposed.