Female Russian Athlete Stripped of Olympic Gold Medal for Doping

Yulia Zaripova, the Russian gold medalist in the women's 3000 meters steeplechase at the 2012 London Olympics, is among 12 athletes who were sanctioned on Monday after testing positive in the new anti-doping analyses of their samples.

Zaripova was one of seven medalists (all from countries that belonged to the dissolved Soviet Union) who were retroactively disqualified from the London Games after their stored samples were subjected to new tests using modern techniques and tested positive for banned substances.

Among those sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee on Monday were nine weightlifters, one hammer thrower, and one high jumper.

Zaripova tested positive for the steroid turinabol in a urine sample she provided after winning the final of the race with hurdles on August 6, 2012, according to the IOC.

It was expected that Zaripova would lose her gold medal in advance due to a previous violation of the anti-doping regulations sanctioned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). She had previously served a two-and-a-half-year suspension for irregularities in her biological passport. As a result of that violation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport had nullified all her results from the period between July 2011 and July 2013, including the Olympics.

Other athletes who lost their medals on Monday were: Alexander Ivanov of Russia, silver medalist in weightlifting, 94-kilogram division; Natliya Zabolotnaya of Russia, silver medalist in women's weightlifting, 75-kilogram division; Cristina Iovu, bronze medalist from Moldova in weightlifting, 53-kilogram category; Hripsime Khurshudyan of Armenia, bronze medalist in weightlifting, 75-kilogram division; Irina Kulesha of Belarus, bronze medalist in women's weightlifting, 75 kilograms; and Anatoli Ciricu of Moldova, bronze medalist in men's weightlifting, 94-kilogram division.

The IOC subjected over 1,000 stored samples from the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics to new analyses in order to catch athletes who cheated and evaded sanctions at that time. The new tests are capable of detecting if someone used steroids during periods that extend to weeks and months, rather than just days.

The IOC has reported that at least 98 tests from the London and Beijing Games have tested positive in the new analysis program.