Tatyana Tomashova Banned for Doping Violation

Tatyana Tomashova, a Russian middle-distance runner, has received a 10-year ban from athletics and has been stripped of her silver medal from the 2012 Olympics due to doping violations. The Court of Arbitration for Sport sanctioned her after she tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2021 during re-tests of her out-of-competition samples from 2012. The 49-year-old's punishment comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the women's 1500m final at the London Games, which has been labeled the 'dirtiest race in history' with six of the top nine finishers having doping violations. Tomashova originally finished fourth in that race but was upgraded to silver after the disqualification of Turkish runners Asli Cakir Alptekin and Gamze Bulut. With her disqualification, Britain's Lisa Dobriskey, who finished 10th, will now be credited with a higher placement. Additionally, Ethiopian-born Swede Abeba Aregawi's bronze medal will be upgraded to silver as a result of these sanctions.