Russia's Eduard Latypov tests positive for Meldonium

Russian biathlete Eduard Latypov has failed a drug test for Meldonium, the Russian Biathlon Federation confirmed on Thursday, days after tennis star Maria Sharapova admitted testing positive for the banned substance.

The world junior champion in 2015, Latypov returned a positive sample at the IBU Cup, a level two biathlon event, in February. The 21-year-old is not competing in the world biathlon championships currently taking place in Oslo, and will be suspended awaiting a B sample.

The medicine, which was only added to the banned list earlier this year by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), has caught out a number of top Russian stars. Sharapova, 28, confessed earlier this week to having failed a dope test at the Australian Open in January.

Volleyball international Alexander Markin, speed skating world champion Pavel Kulizhnikov and short track Olympic champion Semen Yelistratov have also tested positive. Previously, 2014 Olympic ice skating champion Ekaterina Bobrova returned a sample at the European championships in Bratislava containing Meldonium and earlier this year cyclist Eduard Varganov, of the Katusha team, also tested positive.