Russian athlete Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev handed four-year doping ban, to be stripped off 2012 Olympics silver medal

33-year-old Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev has received a four-year ban after she was recently found guilty of Russia’s systemic doping during the 2012 London Olympics. The development will also deprive her of the silver medal that she bagged in that year's 800m race.

Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev recognized herself as a Russian athlete until she changed her commitment to Turkey in 2021. She represented the country at the Mediterranean Games in Oran, Algeria in 2022, where she bagged the gold medal in the 800m race and bronze in the 4x400m relay race. Guliyev also won the bronze medal in the 800m race at the Balkan Championships in the same year.

Recently, the athlete made headlines for doping charges claimed by the World Athletics against her and the Russian Athletics Federation. Based on the past drug samples of Guliyev from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed her suspension for four years till 2026.

Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev had initially achieved the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. However, her ranking was upgraded to silver after her competitor Mariya Savinova was stripped of her gold medal due to doping violations.

Following Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev's silver medal deprivation, the IOC is yet to comment on the reallocation of medals for the athletes at the 2012 London Olympics' 800m lineup.

Once Guliyev's silver medal is taken away, Kenyan long-distance runner Pamela Jelimo, who bagged the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, might be recognized as the silver medalist. She ran 1:57.59 in the 800m race. Moreover, Team USA’s Alysia Montaño could be upgraded to the bronze medal.

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Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev received a two-year ban in 2015

Poistogova-Guliyev (Image via Getty Images)

In 2015, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended a lifetime ban for Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev after the organization’s investigation found her involvement in Russia’s state-sponsored systematic doping in athletics.

Guliyev was eventually banned for two years in 2017 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It also nullified her results from 2012 to 2014. However, Guliyev was allowed to keep her medal back then.

Moreover, her compatriot Mariya Savinova was found guilty of doping violations. In fact, their coach, Vladimir Kazarin, was banned for life after 2015’s WADA-commissioned report found him administering banned performance-enhancing drugs to Russian athletes.

The women's 800m and 1500m races at the 2012 London Olympics are speculated to be filled with doping violations. Three finalists of the eight athletes in the 800m race lineup faced disqualification. Moreover, five of the thirteen runners in the 1500 meters were found guilty of the same charges.