TURIN, Italy: Russian biathlete Olga Pyleva, the silver medallist in the women's 15km race, has failed a doping test at the Winter Olympics, the first such case during the Games, an IOC official said yesterday.

The official said that both samples taken from Pylova tested positive for the stimulant carphedon.

She is to appear before the IOC disciplinary commission later in the day.

Pyleva, 30, had been due to start in the biathlon 7.5km sprint yesterday morning but was withdrawn shortly before the start of the event as she was suspended pending the hearing.

The gold medal in the 15km was won by her compatriot Svetlana Ishmouratova with Martina Glagow of Germany in third and another Russian Albina Akhatova fourth.

"We are awaiting an official statement from the Russian delegation and we say no more until then," a spokesman for the International Biathlon Union said.

Pyleva won gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics in the pursuit and was world champion individual biathlete in 2004 with relay world championship golds in 2000, 2001 and 2005.

She is the first competitor to return a positive test at the Turin Games. Four years ago in Salt Lake City there were seven failed doping tests as the IOC stepped up its crackdown on drug cheats.

Florence Baverel-Robert of France, the winner of the 7.5km on Thursday, called the doping case "disappointing".

"It's a great pity for the sport. It won't do it any good and I'm disappointed," she said.

Glagow, who is set to be promoted to the silver medal position, said she was stunned by the revelation.

"I just froze when I heard it," said the German. "No-one thought something like this was possible in biathlon."

The stimulant carphedon was the illegal substance taken by German cyclist Danilo Hondo prior to the Tour of Murcia in 2005 after which he was suspended for two years.

Source: China Daily