She is now expected to participate at the European Under-23 Championships, due to take place in Bydgoszcz in Poland from July 13 to 16, subject to her entry being formally accepted.

"The IAAF Doping Review Board has agreed that the Russian athlete Klavdiia Afanaseva has met the exceptional eligibility criteria to compete in international competition (with respect to her application to compete at the European Athletics U23 Championships) as a neutral athlete under Competition Rule 22.1A(b) while the Russian national federation remains suspended," a statement from the world governing body said.

"Afanaseva’s participation as a neutral athlete at the European Athletics U23 Championships...is still subject to the formalities for eligibility under IAAF Rules being completed and to acceptance by European Athletics, the organiser of the competition in question, in accordance with the rules of that competition."

The 21-year-old finished fifth in the 5,000 metres walk at the 2013 World Youth Championships in Donetsk before a 10,000m victory at the European Junior Championships in Eskilstuna two years later.

She clocked a time of 43min 36.88sec to win in a Russian clean sweep of the podium positions.

The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) remains banned from international athletics competitions pending its completion of reinstatement criteria.

Athletes are permitted to compete as a neutral if they can demonstrate they have been operating in an "effective testing system". 

A further nine Russian athletes were declared eligible last week to compete at the IAAF World Under-18 Championships scheduled to be held in Nairobi from July 12 to 16.

Another 13 have also been cleared to compete at senior level, including two reigning world champions, 110m hurdler Sergey Shubenkov and high jumper Maria Kuchina. 

Long jumper Darya Klishina and 800m runner Yuliya Stepanova were each cleared to compete internationally last year.

Stepanova, a convicted drugs cheat, was allowed to take part in international competition after being the whistleblower for German television station ARD , whose programme in 2014 lifted the lid on Russia's alleged state-sponsored doping programme. 

Only Klishina was able to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, though, after Stepanova was barred by the International Olympic Committee due to her previous drugs ban. 

The IAAF have previously said that 45 other applications for neutral participation have been rejected. 

More than 25 leading Russian walkers have been banned in recent years, including three Olympic champions.

London 2012 50 kilometres walk winner Sergey Kirdyapkin, Beijing 2008 women's 20km gold medallist and London 2012 silver medallist Olga Kaniskina and Beijing 2008 men's 20km winner Valery Borchin have all been sanctioned.

Others banned in January included Sergei Bakulin, the 2011 world 50km champion, and 2011 world silver medallist Vladimir Kanaykin, now banned for life.