14 Facts About Nadzeya Astapchuk

Nadzeya Astapchuk briefly was designated the Olympic Champion in 2012, but was stripped of the title for failing a drug test and the gold medal was awarded to New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams.

Nadzeya Astapchuk was World Champion in 2005, but in March 2013, the IAAF reported that her drug test sample from that event had been retested and found to be positive.

Nadzeya Astapchuk is a four-time runner-up at the World Indoor Championships and a three-time World Championships silver medallist outdoors.

Nadzeya Astapchuk instead entered throwing events and her first international title came at the age of seventeen, as she won the shot put at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics.

Nadzeya Astapchuk was dominant at the younger levels and won at the 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships and then the 2001 European Athletics U23 Championships.

Nadzeya Astapchuk rose to top international level in the early 2000s, winning two consecutive silver medals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships and finished as runner-up at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics.

Nadzeya Astapchuk finished fourth at her first Summer Olympics in 2004, but reached the peak of her discipline the following year, winning at the 2005 European Athletics Indoor Championships and then becoming 2005 World Champion.

Nadzeya Astapchuk's career became overshadowed by Valerie Adams, who succeeded her as World Champion in 2007, although she continued to win major medals, including silvers at the World Indoor and Outdoor Championships and a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Nadzeya Astapchuk won further honours at the 2010 European Cup Winter Throwing meeting, easily winning gold ahead of compatriot Natallia Mikhnevich.

Nadzeya Astapchuk defeated the reigning champion, Natallia Mikhnevich, at the 2010 European Athletics Championships to claim her first outdoor European Championship.

Nadzeya Astapchuk decided to miss the indoor section of 2011 and instead struck a balance between training and resting her left knee.

Nadzeya Astapchuk had endured ongoing pain in the joint but remarked "I didn't want to do something radical and have surgery as there is no guarantee of a speedy recovery".

Nadzeya Astapchuk received a one-year ban after her coach, Alexander Yefimov, admitted to spiking her coffee with metenolone without her knowledge after being worried about her performance, stating that he thought the drug would be clear before the tests were administered.

In March 2013, Nadzeya Astapchuk was stripped of her 2005 World Championship title after samples from the 2005 event were retested by the IAAF.