Russian Olympic biathlete banned for doping

MOSCOW (AP) Russian Olympic biathlon competitor Alexander Loginov was banned for two years for doping, while two more Russians had their bans extended on Friday.

Loginov originally tested positive for the blood-boosting EPO in November 2013, but it was detected only 12 months later.

The International Biathlon Union said in a statement his ban will run for two years from Nov. 25, 2014.

Loginov's competition results from Nov. 26, 2013, have also been canceled, meaning he loses a World Cup relay gold medal, and is likely to be retroactively disqualified from last year's Winter Olympics in Sochi, where he finished 30th in the men's 10-kilometer individual race.

The 23-year-old Loginov was considered a rising star of biathlon before his positive test, having won two gold medals at the 2013 world junior championships.

He became the third biathlete who competed at the Sochi Olympics and has since been banned for the games period.

Germany's Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle tested positive at the games, while Ukraine's Sergei Sednev was banned in April, his two-year sanction backdated to cover the Sochi Olympics.

Two more Russian biathletes, Irina Starykh and Ekaterina Iourieva, had already been punished but their bans were extended.

Both tested positive for EPO on separate occasions before being banned, and the extra punishments relate to their second doping violations.

Starykh's ban runs an extra year through Dec. 23, 2016, while Iourieva's was extended by another four years to 2025.

The Russian Biathlon Union said in a statement it does not plan to appeal.