London Marathon wins judgment against Liliya Shobukhova
London Marathon Events Ltd has obtained judgment from the British High Court for the return of money paid to Russian marathoner Liliya Shobukhova.
Shobukhova had been handed a ban of three years and two months following abnormalities detected in her biological passport. That sanction was later reduced by seven months after the athlete provided "substantial assistance" and the ban ended last August.
Competitive results recorded by Shobukhova as of October 9, 2009, were also disqualified, including her 2010 London Marathon win and 2011 runner-up finish, while she had also won Chicago Marathon titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011 as the only athlete to secure three consecutive victories.
The judgment requires Shobukhova to repay £377,961.62 plus costs to London Marathon Events Ltd to cover the prize and appearance money paid to her for the 2010 and 2011 London Marathon events.
"The next step is to get the judgment enforced in Russia. It will be a long and difficult process but we will pursue it as we are determined that cheats should not benefit," said Nick Bitel, chief executive of London Marathon Events Ltd.
"Any money we get back will be redistributed to the athletes that Shobukhova cheated out of their rightful dues.
"We are determined to make marathon running a safe haven from doping. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure cheats are caught and do not benefit from cheating.
"In addition to testing operated by the IAAF and national federations, the Abbott World Marathon Majors has set up one of the largest private testing pool of athletes in sport, with 150 competitors being tested out of competition a minimum of six times a year for their unique athlete biological passport."
Shobukova has been banned for life from taking part in the London Marathon and in any of the five other marathons that make up the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
