It follows an in-competition test on June 12, 2016, during the British Weightlifting Championships at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

The 24-year-old, who had retained her 58 kilograms title at the Championships with a total of 175kg, was subsequently charged with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) pursuant to article 2.1 of the World Anti-Doping Code - "Presence of a Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers in an Athlete’s Sample".

Panjavi formally contested the charge on the grounds that the positive test came as a result of taking medication for foot swelling while she visited Iran.

However, an independent National Anti-Doping Panel was not satisfied with Panjavi’s explanation regarding the source of the prohibited substance and a four-year ban was imposed.

"Shila Panjavi was one of Britain’s leading weightlifting talents, with a bright future ahead of her in the sport," UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) chief executive Nicole Sapstead.

"As a result of her own choices, that future has been taken away and Panjavi now faces a lengthy ban from the sport.

"It is important to remember that her actions have not just impacted her own career, but also her competitors.

"Panjavi has stolen the dreams of those she competed against at the 2016 British Weightlifting Championships.

"This case is an excellent example to athletes that taking a substance without adequate knowledge of its contents could have serious effects on both their health and sporting careers.

"I implore all athletes - from beginner to elite - to check the prohibited status of medications via GlobalDRO.com."

Panjavi, who fell short of fulfilling her aim to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, is banned from all sport from July 8, 2016 until midnight on July 7, 2020.

Her father Kazen and uncle Kamran have both competed in weightlifting at the Olympics, representing Iran at Barcelona 1992 and Great Britain at Athens 2004 respectively. 

The news of Panjavi's ban comes in the same week that British Commonwealth Games wrestling medallist Chinu Sandhu received a four-year doping ban, also for a metabolite of stanozolol.

Sandhu, an under 125kg freestyle bronze medallist as part of the England team at Glasgow 2014, failed an out-of-competition test for the exogenous anabolic androgenic steroid on September 20 last year.

He claimed he had not acted intentionally and the positive sample was a result of taking a contaminated supplement.

An independent National Anti-Doping Panel upheld the charge, based on a lack of evidence presented by the wrestler.

The backdated four-year suspension means Sandhu, who also competed under the name Chinu XXX, will be ruled out of competition until October 2020.