Vitalina Simonova: Russian swimmer banned for positive testosterone test

Vitalina Simonova won silver at the 2013 European short course championships in the 200m breaststroke

Russian swimmer Vitalina Simonova has been suspended for four years after testosterone was found in an out-of-competition test.

Her ban has been backdated by the International Swimming Federation (Fina) and will end in June 2019.

Simonova won bronze in the medley relay at the 2014 European Championships.

The 23-year-old, who was not selected for August's Olympics in Rio, says she plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This is the latest doping ban for a competitor from Russia, where sport is in turmoil.

The country's track and field athletes are banned from international competition, including Rio 2016, following accusations of state-sponsored doping.

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