Olympics Games: Russians reinstated

Nick Gillingham now seems certain to be denied a bronze medal in the 200 metres breaststroke after a Russian swimmer won his appeal against a doping offence.

An arbitration court yesterday reinstated the two Russian athletes who had been stripped of their Olympic medals after testing positive for a banned drug, bromantan. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled there was insufficient evidence to disqualify the swimmer Andrei Korneyev and the Greco-Roman wrestler Zafar Gulyov. They were among four Russians expelled for using a drug which had been listed as a performance-enhancing stimulant. Another Russian tested positive for the drug but the athlete's identity was not revealed.

Gillingham, who was fourth in the 200m breaststroke, said: "As far as I know this doesn't mean I haven't got the bronze as the court of arbitration agreed performance-enhancing drugs were used. As I have been told, the disqualification of medals still stands."