Yuliya Stepanova
 Rusanova at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 July 1986 (age 38) Russia |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | 800–1500 m |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 800 m – 1:56.99 (2011) 1000 m – 2:39.81 (2009) 1500 m – 4:06.08 (2009)[1] |
Yuliya Igorevna Stepanova, née Rusanova, (Russian: Юлия Игоревна Степанова (Русанова); born 3 July 1986) is a Russian runner who specializes in the 800 metres.
Career
On 26 February 2013 the IAAF announced that she had been banned for two years following abnormalities in her biological passport. All her results since 3 March 2011 were forfeited.[2]
In 2014, she and her husband Vitaliy Stepanov, a former employee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency RUSADA, appeared in a documentary by Hajo Seppelt for the German TV network Das Erste, accusing the Russian sports system of large-scale doping fraud. Both said that Russian athletics officials supplied banned substances in exchange for 5% of an athlete's earnings and falsified tests together with doping control officers.[3][4] A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin called Stepanova a "Judas".[5]
Although the IAAF decided not to lift the ban on Russian athletes before the 2016 Summer Olympics, "three or four" Russian athletes may be permitted to appear as independent competitors.[6] Its taskforce recommended that Stepanova be allowed to compete due to her "truly exceptional contribution to the fight against doping in sport" including "great personal risks".[5] WADA's former chief investigator, Jack Robertson, praised Stepanova for giving information without asking for a reduction of her sentence, to which she was entitled as a whistleblower.[7] On 1 July 2016, the IAAF approved her application to compete as a neutral athlete.[8] Five days later, she competed at the European Championships but finished last in her heat with a torn ligament in her foot. [9] In an unexpected turn of events the IOC on July 24 decided to ban Stepanova from competing in the 2016 Olympic games due to her drug infraction in 2013.[10]
Personal life
Rusanova was raised in Kursk.[11] She married Vitaly Stepanov in 2009 and gave birth to their son in November 2013.[12] She now uses the surname Stepanova (feminine form of Stepanov). Together with her husband and son, she permanently moved from Russia to Germany in December 2014.[13] The couple denied Russian media reports that they had applied for political asylum in Canada.[14] As of 2016, they live in the United States.[9]
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Russia
| |||||
| 2011 | European Indoor Championships | Paris, France | Disqualified | 800 m | 2:00.80 |
| World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | Disqualified | 800 m | 1:59.74 | |
| 2012 | World Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | Disqualified | 800 m | 2:01.87 |
References
- ^ Yuliya Stepanova at World Athletics
- ^ Turnbull, Simon (26 February 2013). "Marilyn Okoro set for belated bronze". The Independent.
- ^ "ARD-Dokumentation deckt Doping und Vertuschungsapparat in Russland auf" (in German). Westdeutscher Rundfunk. 3 December 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)- English translation: "Exclusive: ARD Documentary exposes Doping and Cover-up System in Russia / Active Athletes, Coaches and Insiders come clean". letsrun.com. 3 December 2014.
- ^ "Russian doping claims: 99% of athletes guilty, German TV alleges". BBC News. 4 December 2014.
- ^ a b "IAAF Taskforce: Interim report to IAAF Council, 17 June 2016" (PDF). IAAF. 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Door opened for "gamechanger" Stepanova to compete independently at Rio 2016".
- ^ Epstein, David (4 August 2016). "On Eve of Olympics, Top Investigator Details Secret Efforts to Undermine Russian Doping Probe". ProPublica.
- ^ Wilson, Stephen (1 July 2016). "Russian whistleblower cleared to compete as neutral athlete". Associated Press.
- ^ a b Ingle, Sean (6 July 2016). "Yuliya Stepanova makes her return but injury could end her Rio hopes". The Guardian.
- ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Russia not given blanket Games ban by IOC". BBC. 24 July 2016.
- ^ Brant, John (22 June 2016). "The Marriage That Led to the Russian Track Team's Olympic Ban". The New York Times.
- ^ Ford, Bonnie D. (15 June 2016). "Athletes, others who raise doping concerns in sports often left whistling into the wind". ESPN.
- ^ «Россия мне такого не простит». Продолжение перевода скандального фильма о допинге в России. sovsport.ru (4 December 2014)
- ^ Schwartz, Daniel (13 January 2016). "Whistleblowers Yuliya and Vitaly Stepanov describe Russia's sports doping system". CBC News.
