MONACO: Former world champion Marina Arzamasova of Belarus received a four-year ban for doping after her defense that she had taken contaminated over-the-counter supplements was rejected.
The 32-year-old Arzamasova, who won the 800 meters at the 2015 worlds in Beijing, had been provisionally suspended after testing positive in 2019.
The four-year ban dates to the initial suspension and ends on July 28, 2023, track and field’s Athletics Integrity Unit said in its decision released Friday.
Arzamasova was the 2014 European champion and placed seventh at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
She tested positive for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator LGD-4033, better known as ligandrol. It is reportedly used in supplements by body builders to build muscle mass with fewer side effects than steroids.
The runner argued that she had taken over-the-counter supplements which she said must have been contaminated with the prohibited substance.
But the AIU in its decision said Arzamasovas defense…