Life doping ban for Russian race walker

Russia has banned national race walking champion Sergei Morozov for life for doping, the All-Russian Athletics Federation said in a statement Tuesday.

"The anti-doping commission of the All-Russian Athletics Federation has disqualified race walker Sergei Morozov for life based on irregularities in blood test results in the athlete's biological passport," the federation said.

It said that all Morozov's results from 25 February 2011 would be annulled in line with the rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Morozov, 24, in June won the Russian race walking championship over a distance of 20 kilometres. He also won the same event in 2011.

The president of the All-Russia Athletics Federation, Valentin Balakhnichev, told R-Sport news agency that 11 test samples taken from Morozov over the course of a year from February 2011 were suspicious.

"Blood samples that they took from Morozov -- and there were 11 taken between February 25, 2011 and February 10, 2012 -- showed that his blood was not in a normal state," Balakhnichev said.

The athlete "can now decide and think whether to appeal, but unfortunately for Morozov, the chances that he will be vindicated are small," he added.

Morozov was previously disqualified for two years on the eve of the 2008 Olympics after he tested positive for the banned drug EPO.