Three Russian wrestlers have been banned by the International Testing Agency for using the banned substance furosemide ©Getty Images

Three Russian wrestlers have been disqualified for using the banned substance furosemide in 2012, after data from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory indicated its presence in their samples.

Double national freestyle champion Elena Vostrikova, fellow national champion Darya Leksina and Aleksey Shchekov have all received suspensions, effective from March 2 2022, by the International Testing Agency (ITA).

Vostrikova and Leksina have both been hit with one-year bans until March 1 2023, while Shchekov has been banned for two years, until March 1 2024, as reported by TASS, Russia’s official state news agency.

Data indicating the wrestlers had used furosemide was discovered during investigations by Professor Richard McLaren ©Getty Images
Data indicating the wrestlers had used furosemide was discovered during investigations by Professor Richard McLaren ©Getty Images

Furosemide is on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines, although it is also on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s banned drug list.

In March during investigations by WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department and Professor Richard McLaren, data from Moscow was discovered indicating the wrestlers had used furosemide.

In a statement a United World Wrestling spokesperson told insidethegames: "UWW is aware of the decisions rendered against wrestlers Elena Vostrikova, Darya Leksina and Aleksey Shchekov for an anti-doping rules violation, and has recorded the respective periods of ineligibility and the disqualification of the competition results."