Bulgaria’s European Champ Naimova Faces Life Ban for Doping

Naimova, 26, won the 60m title at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg in March. File photo

Bulgarian sprinter Tezdzhan Naimova, who is European indoor champion, risks a life-long ban if her second doping offense is confirmed, it emerged on Wednesday.

A day earlier the country’s athletics federation announced that Naimova has been temporarily suspended after testing positive for taking anabolic steroid Drostanolone at the European indoor championship in Gothenburg in March.

Naimova, who has been widely regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most promising athletes, could face a life ban from athletics as this is her second doping offence in four years.

She can appeal the suspension within two weeks.

Bulgaria's Tezdzhan Naimova won the women's 60 race at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 7.10 seconds, nosing out Mariya Ryemyen of Ukraine.

France's Myriam Soumare was third, while Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova ranked fourth.

If the charges are confirmed, Naimova will have return her European title.

At the beginning of 2009 Tezdzhan Naimova was banned for two years for manipulating a doping sample.

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