Russian athlete Natalya Antyukh has been stripped of her 400-meter hurdles gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics for doping under a ruling issued on October 24 by track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Antyukh, 41, won the gold at the London Olympics in August 2012, beating Lashinda Demus of the United States, who will be upgraded to the gold if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) acts on the AIU ruling.
Antyukh was banned for "the use of a prohibited substance/method," the AIU said, adding that this disqualified her results from July 15, 2012, through June 29, 2013.
Antyukh is currently serving a four-year ban lasting until 2025 in a previous case judged by the Court or Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that stripped her of her results from 2013 to 2015.
Demus finished 0.07 seconds behind Antyukh in the event, which took place on August 8, 2012. The upgrade to gold would make Demus, 39, an Olympic champion for the first time. She won the world title won in 2011.
The new ruling, which can be appealed, was based on historical evidence recovered from a Moscow testing laboratory database. The AIU did not specify evidence against Antyukh found in connection with the database, which was part of a years-long standoff between the World Anti-Doping Agency and Russian authorities.
Antyukh won a silver medal in the 4X400-meter relay in the 2012 Olympics, but lost it when team mate Antonina Krivoshapka was found guilty of doping.
Several other Russian athletes have had their medals from the 2012 Olympics stripped due to anti-doping rule violations.