Russian race walker Kirdyapkina gets doping ban - CAS

[February 07, 2019]    MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian race walker Anisya Kirdyapkina has been suspended for doping and is set to be stripped of two world championship medals, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday.

"All results of Ms Kirdyapkina since 25 February 2011 were disqualified through to 11 October 2013, including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points and prize and appearance money obtained during this period," CAS said in a statement.

Olga Kaniskina of Russia shows her gold medal during the awards ceremony for the women's 20 km walk final at the European Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona July 28, 2010. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal

Kirdyapkina, who retired from competition in 2015, loses her second-place finishes at the 2013 and 2011 world championships. The decision also brought her a three-year suspension which expires in 2020.

Kirdyapkina originally won bronze in 2011 but was raised to second place when fellow Russian Olga Kaniskina, who had taken gold, was suspended for doping.

Kirdyapkina's husband, race walker Sergey Kirdyapkin, won gold in the 50km at the 2012 Olympics in London but was later stripped of his medal for doping.

Russia's athletics federation has been suspended since a 2015 report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of state-sponsored doping in the sport.

Global athletics ruling body the IAAF has still authorised some Russians, including 2015 world champion hurdler Sergey Shubenkov, to compete as neutrals after having demonstrated they are competing in a doping-free environment.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber,; Editing by Ed Osmond)

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