Gotta love Russia! Seven months after the fact, the Russian sports federation announced today that Julija Tchepalova and Yevgeny Dementiev tested positive for EPO after the final Tour de Ski races last January. Nice going, guys.
They're apparently going to retire, leaving behind a pair of pretty good - but now smelly - careers. Dementiev has an array of solid results, including his phenomenal gold in the pursuit and a silver in the skate 50 at Torino (remember that kick? hmmm...). Tchepalova was one of the best racers of the last decade, winning six Olympic medals (including three golds - in the Torino relay, in the Salt Lake City sprint, and in the Nagano skate 30), and five podium spots at World Championships, including a bronze, two silvers, and a gold at Oberstdorf in 2005.
Now, they're just dopers. Tchepalova's father, the coach of some other good Russian skiers, should be under verrrry close scrutiny. And with Yevgeny out, someone else on the men's team is going to have start rocking the Russian mullet.