IAAF probe as Russian dope cheat accused of defying ban

A new doping scandal involving Russian athletes has erupted after the IAAF confirmed it is investigating allegations race walker Elena Lashmanova, who won gold at the London Olympics, took part in a race in December despite being subject to a two-year doping ban.

The IAAF, athletics’ world governing body, has confirmed it is looking into the claims, and alleged attempts to cover up her participation. The IAAF is already involved in a major investigation into allegations from German broadcaster ARD that doping and cover-ups are rife in Russian athletics.

Lashmanova, 22, who in 2012 became the youngest winner of the women’s Olympic 20-kilometre walk, is banned until February 2016 after testing positive for banned hormones and modulators of metabolism. Claims surfaced in Italian race walking periodical Marcia dal Mondo that she competed in the indoor regional championships of her home region of Mordovia in Russia last month, and photographs were published of her participating.