It's considered "one of the dirtiest [running races] in history," and it just got a little more so: The Guardian reports that a fifth finisher, out of a dozen total, in the 2012 London Olympics' 1500m final has been wiped from the record books. An analysis of Russian athlete Tatyana Tomashova's data held by Moscow's anti-doping lab at the time confirms she'd been taking banned drugs. The fourth-place finisher was awarded the silver medal after Turkey's Asli Cakir Alptekin and Gamze Bulut, who finished first and second, were found to have doped; they were stripped of their medals in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
The AP reports that the Athletics Integrity Unit, which handles doping cases in track and field, said Tomashova has decided not to appeal the 10-year doping ban she was handed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in September. The court said samples she provided prior to the Games in June and July 2012 tested positive for anabolic steroids. The AIU said the case was based on records that emerged much later that indicated doping cover-ups had happened at the lab. "Tomashova's sanction stemmed from AIU charges based on historical data, showing evidence of doping in Russian athletics," an AIU statement said, per the Guardian. "The International Olympic Committee may now proceed with the reallocation of medals and the update of the IOC database."
Should the IOC approve the reallocation of medals, Ethiopian-born Abeba Aregawi of Sweden, originally the fifth-place finisher, would take the silver, while American Shannon Rowbury would receive the bronze. The gold is held by Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain. Belarus' Natallia Kareiva, who finished seventh, and Russia's Yekaterina Kostetskaya, who placed ninth, were also previously disqualified from the race for doping offenses. (More 2012 London Olympics stories.)
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