Australian, Tallent hopes Russia ban continues

Australian Olympian, Jared Tallent has said he hopes Russia are banned from participating in the Rio Olympics due to doping scandals. The 31-year-old is expected to receive a gold medal retrospectively for the 50km walk at the London Olympics, after gold medalist, Russia's Sergey Kirdyapkin was stripped of the gold after he was found guilty of doping. "I'm hopeful that Russia are still banned from the Olympics," Tallent told reporters in Adelaide. "There has been talk that their ban will be lifted before Rio. I'll be incredibly disappointed if they are there." The International Association of Athletics has issued an indefinite ban on Russian athletes after a report found state-wide doping in the Russian track and field team.