Athletics: Olympic champ fails drugs test

MOSCOW: Olympic 2004 hammer champion Olga Kuzenkova is under investigation by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) after failing a drugs test, according to the Russian anti-doping agency. “Kuzenkova is facing possible sanctions from the IAAF after a prohibited substance was found in her A sample,” said the agency on its website. The 42-year-old, who has denied any wrongdoing, retired shortly after failing to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Kuzenkova, who was also world champion in 2005, is the latest Russian athlete to face sanctions for a breach of anti-doping regulations. Earlier on Friday, European under-23 race-walking champion Tatyana Mineyeva was banned for two years after failing a drugs test.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2012.