Positive test
Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine is under investigation for a positive doping test and could be stripped of her silver medal in the Olympic heptathlon.
The International Olympic Committee said Wednesday it has opened a disciplinary procedure into Blonska, who finished second behind fellow Ukrainian Nataliia Dobrynska last Saturday.
The IOC disciplinary commission and executive board are expected to rule on the case today.
If found guilty of a doping offense, the 30-year-old Blonska would lose her medal and be expelled from the games.
Blonska is also competing in the long jump and was third in qualifying ahead of Friday’s final. Her place in that event is now in jeopardy.
The third-place finisher in the heptathlon was American Hyleas Fountain, who would be bumped up to the silver if Blonska is disqualified. Russia’s Tatiana Chernova would move up from fourth to the bronze.
Blonska served a doping suspension between 2003-05. If found guilty of a second offense, she could face a lifetime ban.
Just DQ for biter
Dzhakhon Kurbanov, the light heavyweight from Tajikistan who bit his opponent on the shoulder in a quarterfinal bout, won’t face additional sanctions or suspension by the International Boxing Association.
Spokesman Richard Baker said Wednesday that Kurbanov’s disqualification from the Olympic boxing tournament will be his only punishment for the bizarre infraction, which occurred with 17 seconds left in the third round of his bout with Kazakhstan’s Yerkebulan Shynaliyev.
No quit in Liukin
Nastia Liukin is considering competing next year at the World Gymnastics Championships in London.
“I’d love to stay around,” Liukin said Wednesday. “Gymnastics has meant so much to me. I’m going to be busy, but I’d love to keep going.
“My body felt pretty good; I expected to be hurting more than this. I can look forward to the world championships and it’s definitely possible. There’s no team competition next year, only individual.”
U.S. team coordinator Martha Karolyi told the 18-year-old Liukin, “If there is anything I can do to make you stay, let me know.”
It has become rare for U.S. women gymnasts to participate in more than one Olympics.
BMX rained out
American BMX racer Kyle Bennett will get an extra day to rest his injured shoulder.
The men’s and women’s Olympic BMX semifinals and medal races were rained out today, giving Bennett — the three-time world champion from Conroe, Texas, who dislocated his left shoulder in a nasty crash during a quarterfinal heat — an additional 24 hours to recover before racing again.
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