Vancouver 2010 Olympic gold medallist caught cheating 15 years later
Evgeny Ustyugov of Russia was crowned Olympic champion at Whistler Olympic Park on Feb. 21, 2010, winning gold in biathlon.
He didn’t do it cleanly, however.
Ustyugov has been disqualified for all competitions he participated in from Jan. 24, 2010, through the end of the 2013-14 season. The International Olympic Committee Executive Board can now reallocate the medals the Russian biathlete won at both the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
That includes two medals Ustyugov won at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics — gold in the men’s mass start competition and bronze in the men’s relay.
Martin Fourcade of France will be awarded the men’s mass start gold medal, while Pavol Hurajt of Slovakia will trade bronze for silver. Christoph Sumann of Austria will claim bronze.
Sweden will take bronze in place of the Russian team in the men’s relay.
Ustyugov’s final appeal concerning anti-doping rule violations was rejected by the Swiss Federal Tribunal. It confirmed earlier rulings made by the International Biathlon Union and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, ending a years-long dispute.
“The sanctions are based on abnormalities found in Ustyugov’s Athlete Biological Passport, along with evidence from the Moscow Laboratory Information Management System,” the International Biathlon Union stated on its website today.
Ustyugov joins Polish cross-country skier Kornelia Marek and Slovenian biathlete Teja Gregorin as Vancouver 2010 athletes to be caught doping.