Liliya Shobukhova Officially Loses Chicago, London Marathon Titles
The Chicago Marathon and the World Marathon Majors want their prize money back.
Disgraced Russian marathoner Liliya Shobukhova is officially no longer the 2009, 2010 or 2011 Chicago Marathon champion, nor is she the 2010 London Marathon champion.
The marathons were informed by the IAAF that Shobukhova has officially received a doping ban based on findings from her biological passport. The IAAF disqualified all of her results after Oct. 9, 2009—just before her phenomenal run at the World Marathon Majors events started.
The Chicago Marathon said Thursday they will “begin taking steps to annul” her results from the 2009-2012 races (she finished fourth in 2012). But it’s not just the official results that are dinging Shobukhova—the races and the World Marathon Majors series want their prize money back too, according to the Chicago Tribune. She won $1 million for winning the World Marathon Majors series in 2009-2010. Also, the Chicago Tribune reports that Shobukhova won $265,000 in placement prize money and another $90,000 in time bonuses from 2009-2012 Chicago Marathons, and the race wants that money back.
“In accordance with IAAF rule 40.8, the Chicago Marathon will not be responsible for retroactively paying athletes and re-allocating the prize money unless or until Shobukhova repays all of her prize money,” Chicago Marathon organizers said in a statement.
News of an abnormality in Shobukhova’s biological passport surfaced last year, and then reports surfaced that she paid money to avoid a doping suspension before the 2012 London Olympics.