Three Russian speed skaters including Olympic 5,000m short track relay champion Semen Elistratov have been provisionally suspended after their B-Sample confirmed the presence of the newly-banned drug meldonium, the International Skating Union (ISU) said Friday.
Elistratov, 25, world 1,5000m champion last year, tested positive for the banned endurance-boosting substance along with short track skater Ekaterina Konstantinova and two-time world speed skating sprint champion Pavel Kulizhnikov. "The B-Samples have confirmed the A-Sample Adverse Analytical Findings for the following skaters which have provisionally been suspended," the ISU confirmed. Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova confirmed recently she had failed a test for the drug at the Australian Open in January, claiming it was an honest mistake.