SYDNEY (AP) — Ekaterina Kostetskaya , the wife of ex-World and Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker, is reportedly serving a two-year ban for a doping violation.
Australian media revealed Thursday that Kostetskaya of Russia was suspended for an infraction at the 2011 world championships, when she placed fifth in the 800 meters.
Hooker, who won the 2008 Olympic and 2009 world titles, met Kostetskaya at the Beijing Olympics. The couple competed for their respective countries at the 2012 Olympics, married the same year and have a son aged 1. Hooker, who retired from competition in April, recently worked for an Australian broadcaster at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
The international athletics federation publishes a list of suspended athletes on its website. Kostetskaya is listed as being ineligible to compete until Jan. 20, 2015 due to an Athlete Biological Passport case involving the “use/attempted use of a prohibited substance/method.” No other details were available.
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