Russia's javelin thrower stripped of 2008 Olympic medal after testing positive for drugs

Lausanne: Russia’s Maria Abakumova was on Tuesday stripped of the javelin silver medal she won at the 2008 Olympic Games after re-analysis of samples taken in Beijing tested positive for drugs. [caption id=“attachment_3003644” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Russian Maria Abakumova. AFP[/caption] The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Abakumova had tested positive for turinabol, an anabolic steroid. In Beijing, the Russian finished ahead of Germany’s Christina Obergfoll with Britain’s Goldie Sayers in fourth in the competition won by Czech Barbora Spotakova. Abakumova was also world champion in Daegu in 2011, but finished only 10th in the London Olympics in 2012 before rebounding to claim bronze in the 2014 Moscow worlds. The IOC also announced the disqualification from the Beijing Games of Abakumova’s team-mates Inga Abitova, sixth in the 10,000m, and Denis Alexeev, who ranked 23rd in the 400m, both also for turinabol. Alexeev was a member of the Russian men’s 4x400m relay team that won bronze, the IOC now stripping the drugs-tainted country of that medal. Britain finished fourth in the relay and now stand primed to be awarded bronze behind the Bahamas and the United States. Also testing positive in re-analysis was Russian cyclist Ekaterina Gnidenko, who finished eighth in the keirin event at the 2012 London Olympics. Gnidenko also tested positive for turinabol.