Russian race walker banned for doping


Russian race walker Alexander Ivanov has been banned for three years for doping, state media reported on Friday, citing the Russian athletics federation.

Ivanov, 25, will lose the gold medal he won in the 20-kilometer race at the 2013 world championships in Moscow and a silver from the 2014 European championships. The athlete was found to be "in breach of anti-doping rules due to deviations in the sample of his blood test," Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Russia's athletics federation RUSAF has been suspended by the governing International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) since November 2015 in the wake of wide-ranging doping practices being uncovered in the country. Russian athletes can still compete as neutrals in international track and field competitions subject to meeting certain anti-doping criteria.