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Only Russian Track and Field Athlete at Olympics Suspended From Rio

Now there are no more Russian track and field athletes in Rio.

The IAAF has suspended Darya Klishina, the only Russian track and field athlete in Rio after new information was discovered that apparently ties her to doping. Klishina, a long jumper, was the only Russian track and field athlete given an exemption to a blanket ban following the WADA-commissioned McLaren Report confirmed a government-aided doping scheme in Russia. She was given the exemption because she had been training out of the United States for the past three years and demonstrated that she was not involved in the Russian system and was subjected to drug tests outside her home country.

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But according to Reuters, new information has come to light:

A source close to the proceedings, who spoke on condition of anonymity said Klishina had been suspended as new evidence had emerged in relation to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report, the McLaren report.

136 athletes appealed the ban and only Klishina was given exempted status. Now that the IAAF has withdrawn that status, she is going to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Russian federation apparently thought this might happen, but even still, they are not feeling confident about her chances for a second pass:

Dmitry Shlyakhtin, president of the Russian Athletics Federation, said Russia had expected such a twist.

"This is not a normal situation, but we anticipated it. I spoke about it, that is issue with Klishina could arise, and here it is," he told Russia's R-Sport news agency.

Shlyakhtin said he thought it was unlikely the long jumper's appeal would be upheld. "In general I am cynical."

CAS is expected to rule on the appeal by Monday at the latest.

[Reuters]