MOSCOW (AP) More than a year into Russia’s exclusion from international track and field, high jump world champion Maria Kuchina feels like she’s stagnating.
“I need emotion, I need competition, I need rivals,” Kuchina said.
That’s all missing because Russian track and field exists in limbo, banned since November 2015 as a series of investigations revealed widespread doping and alleged government officials helped to cover it up.
Sunday saw Russia’s biggest meet of the year so far, though it featured only Russians, with very mixed quality in many events. Kuchina easily won her event in Moscow, but her result of 1.