Thanks to a massive state-sponsored doping program coming to light, Russia entered the Rio Olympics with only around two-thirds of their athletes, all under massive scrutiny. This being the case and with their Olympic future hanging in the balance, one would think that they’d do everything in their power to avoid an embarrassing test failure.
One would be wrong.
52 kg competitor Misha Aloian was officially stripped of his silver medal today, having originally tested positive for the stimulant tuaminoheptane in October. Aloian lost to Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov in the gold medal match and had won bronze in 2012.
Tuaminoheptane, or tuomine, has been on WADA’s banned substance list since 2011. Its marketed use is as a nasal decongestant, a duty hampered by its tendency to cause skin irritation.
The "tainted supplement" argument that’s so in vogue probably won’t fly, is what I’m saying.
On a more amusing note, the article mentions that Romania’s Gabriel Sincraian, who won bronze in the 85 kg weightlifting division, lost his medal as well. The reason that’s amusing is because Sincraian had just finished a two-year doping suspension last year.