Russia to lose final track gold medal from 2012 Olympics

According to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), 10 years after Natalya Antyukh of Russia won gold at London 2012, the former Olympic champion in the 400-metre hurdles has had her results from July 2012 to June 2013 disqualified, including her Olympic gold medal. Russia has now had all five gold medals won on the track from the 2012 Olympics rescinded, due to doping violations.

“Following AIU charges are based on database evidence, Russian athlete Natalya Antyukh has been banned for the use of a prohibited substance, which disqualifies her results from 15 July 2012 until 29 June 2013,” the AIU said in a statement.

Antyukh is currently serving the maximum four-year sentence until 2025 for her first violation under the AIU rules; her results from June 30, 2013 until December 31, 2015 are already disqualified.

She also won Olympic bronze in the 400m at Athens 2004, and a silver medal in the 4x400m relay in 2008. She won another 4x400m relay silver in 2012, but had it taken away when her teammate Antonina Krivoshapka was found guilty of doping.

Russia originally won five medals on the track at the 2012 Olympics. With Antyukh’s latest doping ban, Russia is down to zero medals from the track and only one field gold medal (Anna Chicherova, who had her 2008 Olympic bronze medal stripped).

American Lashinda Demus is in line for an upgrade to gold. She will retroactively become the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic 400m hurdles title. Dalilah Muhammad won the event in 2016 and Sydney McLaughlin won last year in Tokyo.