The Russian Press Agency TASS, published today the news that the All-Russia Federation of Athletics (RusAF) has announced that the Russian walker Maksim Krasnov (born in 1996) has been banned for four years for violating the anti-doping rules.
Krasnov failed his doping test on September 5, at the Russian National Race Walking Championships in Voronovo, the Moscow region. His samples detected banned substances (S2 erythropoietin and S62 Fonturacetam) in his body.
Krasnov is banned from September 28, 2020 to September 27, 2024.
RusAF canceled his result at the Russian championships (fourth place in the 20km in 1:22:46).
Who is Maksim Krasnov
Born on 10.2.1996, the 24-year-old Russian athlete in 2013 was probably one of Russia's highest youth hopes in race walking.
He came to light in Donetsk (UKR) on 13 July 2013 when he finished second at the U18 World Championships in 42:03.10 which is still his personal best today, finishing behind Toshikazu Kamanishi (JPN) clocked 42:03.10 and managing to contain in an exciting final race the return of Diego Garcia Carrera (ESP) who finished in 42:03.32.
The following season, however, after finishing second at the Russian Winter Championships in Sochi on 10km (42:07) and winning the summer ones in Cheboksary (41:36), he suffered two disqualifications at the international events in which he participated:
- Taicang, IAAF World Race Walking U20 Cup 10km
- Eugene, IAAF World Race Walking U20 Championships 10km.
Similarly happened the 2015 season, when after finishing 3rd in Sochi (41:29) and 7th in Cheboksary (43:18.44) he was hit by a further disqualification in the European Cup in Murcia.
The move to the higher category in 2016 started even worse.
He was disqualified in the only two races in which he participated: in Sochi (Russian Winter Championships) and in Cheboksary (Russian Summer Championships) and the same thing happened in the following season of 2017.
2018 only competed in one meeting, and returned to racing in the following 2019 season, finishing 7th in Sochi, but suffering a further disqualification in Cheboksary.
In this difficult 2020 he competes in one Indoor and after in the Voronovo walk festival (23.8) on 10km finishing 4th in 41:21 and finally twice on the 20km:
- in Sochi (Russian Winter Championships) finishing 4th in 1:23:56
- in Voronovo (Russian Summer Championships) finishing 4th in 1:22:46
Unfortunately for him this will be his last race for now and also the personal best on the 20km will be the one obtained in Sochi in 2019 (1:23:45).
One wonders why. His progression during the years tells us that he is not a top-level athlete.
And it is simply crazy that a person who can not really expect anything (the incredible series of disqualifications for technical reasons and the positioning still off the podium in the Russian championship), rushes into the abyss of doping.
Agreeing to doping up for fourth place in such a competition is fierce nonsense!
(Cover photo by Nikita Uspensky - RUS)