IAAF: Eight more Russian athletes cleared to compete as neutrals

Hammer thrower Sergey Litvinov was a European bronze medallist in 2014

Eight more Russian athletes have been cleared to compete as neutrals by world athletics' governing body.

A total of 61 cases were reviewed by the IAAF's doping review board in the latest round of applications, with 53 declined.

The IAAF said the successful applicants met exceptional criteria.

Russia's athletics federation remains banned from international competition, including next month's World Athletics Championships in London.

It was suspended by the IAAF in 2015 amid allegations of state-sponsored doping.

IAAF president Lord Coe said: "From the beginning we have declared this process was about supporting the hopes and aspirations of all clean athletes, including Russian athletes who have been failed by their national system."

This year, 109 applications have been turned down and 47 approved, of which nine were specifically for the World Under-18 Championships and two for the European Under-20 Championships. Two were cleared to compete last year.

The latest athletes to be approved to compete as neutrals, subject to acceptance of their entries by meeting organisers, are Ilya Ivanyuk (high jump), Sergey Litvinov (hammer), Alena Lutkovskaya (pole vault), Danil Lysenko (high jump), Sofia Palkina (hammer), Valery Pronkin (hammer), Vladislav Saraykin (race walk), Ekaterina Sokolenko (3,000m steeplechase).