Russian hammer thrower banned for doping

Moscow: Russian hammer thrower Alisher Eshbekov has been banned for two years after testing positive for an anabolic steroid notoriously used in East German doping, the All-Russian Athletics Federation said.

Former youth prodigy Alisher Eshbekov, 20, was provisionally suspended in December when a doping test during training flagged up the presence of Oral-Turinabol, used in East German state-run doping programs in the 1970s and 1980s. "The athlete has been disqualified for two years from December 19, 2012, until December 18, 2014," a statement on the federation website said. Eshbekov, who previously competed for Tajikistan, placed fifth at the 2007 world youth championships and made the 2008 world junior finals. His career has since tailed off and he placed 11th at last year`s Russian championships. Russia`s successful field athletics program has been hit with a series of doping scandals in recent months. London Olympic discus silver medallist Darya Pishchalnikova is provisionally suspended over an alleged breach of anti-doping rules, as is hammer thrower Kirill Ikonnikov, who also took part in the Games. Hammer thrower Olga Kuzenkova, who won Olympic gold in Athens in 2004, and Athens shot put bronze medallist Svetlana Krivelyova were also hit with doping bans earlier this month. IANS