Russia’s Tatyana Tomashova was issued a 10 year ban on Tuesday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport judge after being found guilty of a doping violation.
It is Tomashova’s second doping infraction and she will likely be stripped of her 2012 Olympic 1,500m silver medal. The 49-year-old was perviously handed a two year ban after a testing positive for a prohibited substance before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Tomashova was also penalized in 2021 after a retest of her out-of-competition samples from June and July 2012 were positive for anabolic steroids, according to the court.
Meanwhile, Tomashova ban puts another layer of scrutiny on 2012 Olympic 1,500m final in London as she is now the sixth athlete from that race to test positive for a banned substance. Labeled the “dirtiest race in history” — similar to a reference to the men’s 100m final at the 1988 Olympics in 1988 — Asli Cakir Alptekin, Gamze Bulut, Natallia Kareiva, Ekaterina Koseteskaya and Abeba Aregawi were all been issued bans following the 2012 London Games.
Shannon Rowbury finished sixth in the 1,500m final and is slated to receive the bronze medal since three women who finished ahead of her, including Tomashova, faced disqualifications.
Alptekin initially won gold, with Bulut in second and Maryam Yusuf Jamal taking third.
Jamal was later awarded gold after Alptekin and Bulut were issued bans, with Tomashova receiving bronze since she finished fourth.
Abeba Aregawi finished fifth and was awarded bronze at a special ceremony at the Paris Olympics but will now be given the sliver as Rowbury will now receive her medal.
Rowbury, 39, is now retired and worked as an on air commentator for NBC during the track and field broadcasts at the Paris Games.
“I’ve kind of been in shock all day,” Rowbury said on social media. “It kind of hit home how much it means for this moment to actually be here. I don’t know what comes next but I’m trying to learn it. I’m just grateful that this moment that I thought would never happen — that justice is actually being served.”
