Mariya Savinova

Mariya Sergeyevna Savinova (Russian: Мария Сергеевна Савинова; born 13 August 1985) is a Russian former athlete who specialized in 800 metres. In 2017, she was found guilty of doping, was suspended from competition for four years, and had three years of results nullified, removing the bulk of her elite career including an Olympic gold medal.

Mariya Savinova

Savinova in 2012
Personal information
Nationality	Russia
Born	(1985-08-13) 13 August 1985 Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	800 metres
Club	Dynamo Sports Club
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Russia Olympic Games Disqualified 2012 London 800 m World Championships Disqualified 2011 Daegu 800 m Disqualified 2013 Moscow 800 m European Championships Disqualified 2010 Barcelona 800 m World Indoor Championships 2010 Doha 800 m European Indoor Championships 2009 Turin 800 m

Career

Savinova was born in Chelyabinsk. In 2009, she became the European indoor champion in the 800 m and the World indoor champion (also in the 800 m) one year later. She originally was awarded gold medals at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu and the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Doping suspension

In December 2014, a documentary aired on German TV in which Savinova admitted to using the anabolic steroid oxandrolone. She said, "Oxandrolone is very quickly out of my body again. It takes less than 20 days. We have tested that. My husband has very good contacts at the doping control laboratory."[1][2]

In November 2015, Savinova was one of five Russian runners the World Anti-Doping Agency recommended to receive a lifetime ban for doping during the London Olympics, along with Ekaterina Poistogova.[3][4][5]

On 10 February 2017, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a four-year ban for Savinova and nullified her results from July 2010 to August 2013, stripping her of the medals she was awarded during that time.[2][6]

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Russia
2008	World Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	Heats	800 m	2:06.72
2009	European Indoor Championships	Turin, Italy	1st	800 m	1:58.10
	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	5th	800 m	1:58.68
2010	World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	1st	800 m	1:58.26
	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	DSQ	800 m	1:58.22
	Continental Cup	Split, Croatia	DSQ	800 m	1:58.27
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	DSQ	800 m	1:55.87
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	DSQ	800 m	1:56.19
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	DSQ	800 m	1:57.80

References

1. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/11272052/Russias-London-2012-800m-champion-caught-in-doping-storm.html
2. Payne, Marissa. "Russian runner who admitted on video to doping is stripped of Olympic gold". washingtonpost.com. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
3. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/wada-iaaf-doping-report-1.3310382
4. "Ban All Russian Track Athletes: World Anti-Doping Agency Panel". NBC. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
5. Gibson, Owen (9 November 2015). "Russia accused of 'state-sponsored doping' as Wada calls for athletics ban". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
6. "THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) IMPOSES FOUR-YEAR PERIOD OF INELIGIBILITY ON RUSSIAN ATHLETE MARIYA SAVINOVA-FARNOSOVA" (PDF). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.

External links

• Mariya Savinova at World Athletics
• Mariya Savinova at the International Olympic Committee
• Mariya Savinova at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)