Russian track and field stars who will miss Rio

MOSCOW: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday dismissed an appeal against a ban on Russia’s track and field team for the Rio Olympic Games over state-run doping.

Here are some of the star athletes who will now miss out on the Olympics starting on August 5:

Isinbayeva, the pole vault tsarina — The grande dame of Russian athletics, star pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, 34, had set her sights on ending her stellar career with a third Olympic gold medal at her fifth and final games in Rio.

The world record-holding pole vault tsarina, the first woman to clear the 5-metre bar, has not been implicated in the doping scandals that have engulfed many of her teammates during her glittering career.

Sharp-tongued Isinbayeva furiously lobbied against Russia’s suspension, decrying the blanket ban B u t th e r e have been widespread calls for exemplary sanc t ion s against the stateorchestrated campaign. “This will scare a lot of people, or send a strong message that the sport is serious about as a breach of her human rights and taking a lead role in pleading Russia’s case at the CAS.

“Thank you all for this funeral for athletics,” Isinbayeva told TASS news agency in the wake of the ruling. “THIS IS A BLATANT POLITICAL ORDER”

She herself sparked controversy for backing a much-criticised anti-gay law in Russia at the 2013 Moscow World Championships. Her comments sent shockwaves through the athletics world and saw some Swedish track and field stars at the event paint their nails in rainbow colours.

Shubenkov, the Siberian sensation — The Rio Games could have offered redemption for 25-year-old world champion hurdler Sergey Shubenkov, who was eliminated in the semi-finals of his first Olympics last time round in London.