(Reuters) -The Athletics Integrity Unit has suspended Ukrainian athlete Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk for four years after she tested positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition urine sample collected in December 2024, the AIU said on Tuesday.
Bekh-Romanchuk, who has won silver in long jump and triple jump in the world championships, denied taking testosterone but could not explain the presence of metabolites of testosterone in the sample, the AIU said in a statement.
The 30-year-old, who won gold in triple jump in the 2022 European Championships and the 2023 European Games, said she strongly disagreed with the AIU's decision, adding that she was taking a break from athletics to focus on her family and health.
"I refused to sign any documents that required me to admit my guilt because I am an honest person and my humanity and dignity are important to me," Bekh-Romanchuk posted on Instagram.
"Today, I have to make a difficult choice. I can no longer fight on two fronts — for my good name before the Athletics Integrity Unit and for my future in my personal life.
"It is incredibly exhausting, especially emotionally, and it affects my health... that is why I have decided to take a break to focus on my family and my own health."
Bekh-Romanchuk's period of ineligibility commenced on May 13, the day she was provisionally suspended, the AIU said.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
