The London Olympics lost its first medallist to a doping scandal Monday as Belarus shot-putter Nadezhda Ostapchuk was stripped of her gold medal a day after the Games closed in a blaze of music and colour. Athletes began a mass exodus from London and turned their thoughts to Rio de Janeiro in 2016, as Britain basked in the adulation for a Games that electrified billions of viewers around the globe. The closing ceremony on Sunday night saw rockers The Who wrapping up a musical extravaganza after The Spice Girls, George Michael and Brazilian football legend Pele entertained a 80,000 crowd at the Olympic Stadium. But 31-year-old Ostapchuk waved goodbye to her women’s shot put title after the International Olympic Committee said she had tested positive for the anabolic steroid metenolone. Ostapchuk, the 2005 world champion, took a surprise gold medal with a throw of 21.36m but urine samples provided the day before the competition on August 5 and immediately after it both tested positive, it said.
Ostapchuk stripped of
shot put gold for doping: Belarussian Nadezhda Ostapchuk on Monday became the first medallist disqualified from the London Games for doping and was stripped of her women’s Olympic shot put title. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that New Zealand’s Valerie Adams has been awarded the gold medal after Ostapchuk provided two urine samples which were both found to contain the banned anabolic agent metenolone. Ostapchuk said she would appeal against the IOC decision. “Of course we will fight this decision but still it’s not completely clear for what and against whom exactly we will protest,” the 31-year-old told the Belarus service of Radio Liberty. “We will make a decision after we get more information,” Ostapchuk added. Ostapchuk, the 2005 world champion, took surprise gold with a throw of 21.36m to end the almost two-year unbeaten run of 27-year-old Adams, who took silver with 20.70m.
