A Russian hammer thrower has been banned by the Russian track and field federation after testing positive for four banned substances.
Tatyana Kachegina will be banned from competition for four years after samples she provided to testers contained the anabolic steroids turinabol and stanozolol, as well as GHRP-2, which prompts the body to make more growth hormone, and the heart drug meldonium.
Meldonium was the same drug found in Maria Sharapova's system when she received a two-year ban from tennis in 2016. The suspension was later reduced to 15 months.
Kachegina's lengthy ban reflects the cocktail of drugs found in her system and the Russian federation revealed that they have banned four more athletes - three for positive doping tests and another for failing to provide a sample.
The Russian national team has been barred from international track competitions since 2015 because of widespread doping. Kachegina and the others banned Thursday aren't among the many Russians who have been approved by the IAAF to compete internationally.
Additional reporting by agencies
