MONACO: Former world 800-metre champion Marina Arzamasova has been provisionally suspended for doping after testing positive for a drug in development that is popular with body builders.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Tuesday it notified the 31-year-old Arzamasova of the allegation, one month before the world championships in Doha, Qatar.

“The AIU confirms a provisional suspension against Belarusian middle-distance runner Marina Arzamasova for a violation of the IAAF Anti-Doping Rules,” it said in a tweet.

Arzamasova, who is from Belarus, won the 800 metres gold at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, and was the 2014 European champion. She placed seventh at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The AIU said Arzamasova’s case involves LGD-4033, better known as Ligandrol. The drug has been in clinical trials to treat muscle wasting conditions. It is reportedly used in supplements by body builders to build muscle mass with fewer side effects than steroids.

Meanwhile in a separate case, the AIU said re-testing a sample from the 2011 world championships led to shot putter Andriy Semenov being banned for two years by Ukrainian authorities.

Semenov tested positive for oral turinabol, an anabolic steroid, and is banned through July 21, 2021. The 35-year-old Semenov competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics though he did not qualify for the final either time.

The AIU oversees integrity issues in athletics including doping on behalf of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), the sport’s global governing body.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2019