Doping test result positive, leading to a four-year suspension for Mihambo's female counterpart.
Maryna Bech-Romantschuk, a prominent Ukrainian track and field athlete who specializes in long jump and triple jump, has been handed a four-year doping ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of the World Athletics Association. The ban, announced in August 2025, will run from May 2023 until May 2029, effectively ending her top-level career as it covers two World Championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Bech-Romantschuk, a decorated athlete, has an impressive track record. She won long jump silver at the 2019 World Championships, triple jump silver in 2023, and the European triple jump title in 2022. In the Paris 2024 Olympics, she placed 11th in the triple jump final and took an extended break from competition afterward.
The doping violation occurred in December 2024 during training in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine. The AIU rejected Bech-Romantschuk's defense that elevated testosterone was due to an unspecified medical condition and treatment, noting that none of her prescribed medicines or supplements contained testosterone. Bech-Romantschuk denies knowingly taking testosterone and claims ignorance about how the positive test occurred. She confirmed a break in training from August 2024 to February 2025 and stated she had checked all her medications against the WADA Prohibited List.
The AIU conducted two interviews with Bech-Romantschuk during their investigation, which formed part of the evidence in their adjudication. The ban for Bech-Romantschuk is retroactive from May 13, 2023, and all results from December 7, 2024, for Bech-Romantschuk will be nullified.
Bech-Romantschuk has expressed dissatisfaction with the ban, stating "absolutely not satisfied." She has announced her intention to take a break to focus on family and health. In the future, she plans to give a major interview.
The ban reflects the AIU’s rigorous enforcement of anti-doping rules in athletics. It is a significant setback for Bech-Romantschuk, curtailing a highly successful phase of her career. Her husband, Mychajlo Romantschuk, was a world-class swimmer. Bech-Romantschuk has been among the world's best in both long and triple jump for years and is a long-time rival of Tokyo Olympics champion Malaika Mihambo.
Four years later, Bech-Romantschuk finished second in the triple jump at the World Championships in Budapest. The ban could mean the premature end of Bech-Romantschuk's 30-year-old career. Bech-Romantschuk's humanity and dignity are important to her, and she refused to sign any documents acknowledging guilt due to her belief in her innocence.
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