MOSCOW, January 24 (R-Sport) – Swimming world record holder Yulia Efimova has been suspended from competition after testing positive for a banned steroid, the sport’s world governing body FINA said Friday.
Efimova, 21, won Olympic bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke at London 2012 and has won three world championship gold medals. Alongside news of Efimova's failed test, FINA also reported that another Russian swimmer, former world record holder Sergei Makov, had also been suspended.
Efimova tested positive for 7-keto-DHEA in an out-of-competition test in October in Los Angeles, where she trains, FINA said in a website statement. Efimova is suspended pending a FINA hearing.
Her positive test was reported last week by Russian newspaper Vedomosti. Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said it might have been caused inadvertently by medication.
The test was taken shortly after Efimova won world gold in the 50-meter and 200-meter breaststroke long course in Barcelona in August. Since those results came before the alleged positive, she looks set to keep those medals.
Efimova, last month named Russia’s swimmer of the year, is the fourth member of the Russian swim team from London 2012 to fail a doping test since the Games. The others are Ksenia Moskvina, Yekaterina Andreyeva and Natalya Lovtsova.
