Olympic marathoner Shmyrko banned for doping in Ukraine

MOSCOW (AP) Ukrainian marathon runner Tetyana Shmyrko has been banned for four years for a doping offense.

Shmyrko, who has also raced under the name Tetyana Gamera, won her third consecutive Osaka Marathon in January, setting the ninth fastest time in the world this year.

Her punishment includes all of her results annulled since August 2011, meaning she stands to lose her fifth-place finish from the 2012 Olympics, three Osaka wins, and a Ukrainian national record.

Announcing the punishment in a website statement, the Ukrainian Athletics Federation says only that Shmyrko broke a rule barring the use or attempted use of banned substances, without elaborating.

The federation also handed a four-year doping ban to 800-meter runner Oleksandr Shelest, who has competed at the world junior championships.