12 Facts About Olga Kaniskina

Olga Nikolayevna Kaniskina is a Russian coach and former race walker.

Olga Kaniskina won the silver medal in the 20 km walk at the 2006 European Championships, the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships, and the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Olga Kaniskina was disqualified from several years of competition due to doping.

At the 2006 IAAF World Race Walking Cup Kaniskina finished in fifth place and won her first major medal, a silver, at the 2006 European Athletics Championships later that year.

Olga Kaniskina lowered the mark set by her compatriot Olimpiada Ivanova in August 2005.

Olga Kaniskina continued her run of success by winning her second World gold medal at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, becoming the first woman to win the title consecutively.

Olga Kaniskina's 2011 started with a win on the 2011 World Challenge circuit in Rio Maior in April.

Olga Kaniskina was part of a training group coached by Viktor Chegin.

Olga Kaniskina did not return to defend her world championship on home soil, similar to teammate Sergey Bakulin.

On January 20,2015 Olga Kaniskina was disqualified for 3 years and 2 months starting from 15 October 2012, and all her results between 15 July 2009 and 16 September 2009, as well as between 30 July 2011 and 8 November 2011 were annulled.

On March 25,2015, the IAAF filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration in Lausanne, Switzerland, questioning the selective disqualification of the suspension periods of the six athletes involved, including the one for Olga Kaniskina which had allowed her to keep her Olympic silver medal.

Olga Kaniskina received prize money of around $135,000 from the government at events from which she was later disqualified.