MOSCOW (AP) Race-walker Pyotr Trofimov has been given a four-year doping ban, becoming the latest in a string of Russians in the discipline to face punishment.
Track and field’s governing body, the IAAF, says the case was based on evidence from Trofimov’s biological passport, which tracks changes in athletes’ blood over time for signs of drug use.
Trofimov was the Russian national champion over 20 kilometers last year and previously competed at the world championships. More than 25 Russian walkers have been given doping bans in recent years, including Olympic champions.
The Russian track federation says Trofimov’s four-year ban is backdated to November 2016 and his results from August 2009 through May 2013 have been wiped out.