Russian Starykh out of Games after failed test

[BalanceOfPower]

Russian Starykh out of Games after failed test

MOSCOW Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:10pm GMT

(Reuters) - Leading Olympic biathlon medal hope Irina Starykh will miss the Sochi Games after failing a doping test, the Russian biathlon federation said on Thursday.

"The Russian biathlon federation pulls the Russian biathlete Irina Starykh out of the team and informs all the organisations concerned," the Russian biathlon federation said in a statement on its website (www.biathlonrus.com).

In a letter to the Russian federation published on Thursday, Starykh said she received a notification of a positive A sample from the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and that she asked to leave the team camp.

"I have got myself into a difficult situation and think it is necessary to inform about my decision to leave the team for an unspecified period," wrote Starykh, who is sixth in the overall World Cup standings.

"I received a notification from the International Biathlon Union, which stated one of my samples had come back positive. This news was very surprising for me. Believe me, I am sincerely sorry that this piece of news has been associated with my name."

Starykh, 26, was expected to challenge for medals at the Sochi Games, especially in the sprint discipline, although she has only come to prominence over the last two years.

Despite being a successful junior, she did not compete for four years before returning to take part in the World Cup, reaching the podium twice in the individual events.

The Russian federation did not say who would replace Starykh.

Russian media reported on Wednesday that two Russian biathletes had failed drugs tests.

The Olympics start in Sochi on February 7.

(Reporting by Dmitry Rogoviskiy; Editing by Justin Palmer)