Uzbekistani wrestler Artur Taymazov has lost an appeal against his disqualification at Beijing 2008, meaning he is now longer a three-time Olympic gold medallist ©Getty Images

Uzbekistani wrestler Artur Taymazov and Russian hepathlete Tatyana Chernova have both lost their appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against decisions to strip them of Olympic medals from Beijing 2008, it was announced here today.

Taymazov had been disqualified and stripped of the gold medal he had won in the men’s 120 kilogram freestyle in the Chinese capital after re-test detected the presence of anabolic steroids turinabol and stanozolol.

There were also traces of turinabol in the sample of Chernova when it was re-tested. 

Taymazov is Uzbekistan's most decorated Olympian and before this decision had won gold medals in three consecutive Games.

He had also the 120kg freestyle event at Athens 2004 and London 2012, as well as a silver medal at Sydney 2000. 

Russia's Bakhtiyar Akhmedov will now be officially confirmed as the Olympic gold medallist from Beijing 2008 withSlovakia's David Musuľbes upgraded to the silver. 

Last year In 2016, Taymazov was elected to the 7th State Duma of the Russian Federation representing United Russia, the party closely linked with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Russia's Tatyana Chernova has officially been stripped of her Olympic heptathlon bronze medal from Beijing 2008 following a final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport ©Getty Images
Russia's Tatyana Chernova has officially been stripped of her Olympic heptathlon bronze medal from Beijing 2008 following a final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport ©Getty Images

In a previous doping case, Chernova lost her 2012 Olympic bronze medal and was also stripped of the title she won at the 2011 International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Daegu – which went to Jessica Ennis-Hill of Britain.

Another British athlete, Kelly Sotherton, who originally placed fifth in the Beijing 2008 heptathlon, is now set to be upgraded to the bronze medal.  

The second-place finisher in Beijing, Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine, was disqualified during Beijing 2008 for doping.

Sotherton, winner of a surprise Olympic bronze medal in the heptathlon at Athens 2004, had already been upgraded to a bronze in the 4x400 metres relay at Beijing 2008 thanks to the belated disqualification of the teams from Belarus and Russia.

This decision means Chernova no longer has medals from any major championships having also been stripped of the bronze medal she won at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha and the gold she won at the 2013 Universiade in Kazan because of doping. 

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