Three-time Olympian from Ukraine out of Olympics after positive EPO test

Yuliya Yelistratova, who has competed at the Olympics three times for Ukraine, won’t be on the start list in today’s women’s triathlon after a positive test for Erythropoietin (EPO), according to a report from the International Testing Agency (ITA).

“The sample was collected by World Triathlon during an in-competition anti-doping control on 5 June 2021 in the scope of the 2021 Europe Triathlon Cup Dnipro held in Ukraine,” the ITA reports. “World Triathlon was informed of the case on 24 July 2021 by the WADA-accredited laboratory of Warsaw, Poland.”

“Considering that the ITA is leading the anti-doping program on-site for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, World Triathlon entrusted the ITA to handle the results management of this case,” the ITA statement continued. “Given that the case is underway, there will be no further comments during the ongoing proceeding.”

Yelistratova, 33, has been competing as an elite since 2004 when she finished ninth at the European Cup Alanya when she was 15. She won the race in Dnipro last month.

The ITA reports that a sample collected from Yuliya Yelistratova, a triathlete from Ukraine, has returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for recombinant Erythropoietin (EPO).

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— International Testing Agency (@IntTestAgency) July 25, 2021

The positive test means that Yelistratova won’t be able to compete in the individual race in Tokyo as she has been “provisionally suspended until the resolotion o fthe matter in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Triathlon Anti-Doping Rules.” Yelistratova can request that her B-sample be analyzed and can challenge the ruling, but that won’t happen in time to allow her to race at the Olympics for a fourth time – she finished 38th in Rio, was a DNF at the London Games in 2012 and finished 24th in Beijing in 2008.