Nikita Kamayev, the executive director of Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), confirmed the positive test following the analysis at the World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory in Lausanne.

"Speaking of the unfortunate result of Darya Pishchalnikova's sample, we can use the euphemism of 'positive,'" Kamayev told R-Sport. 

A sample taken on May 20 reportedly returned a negative result, but a second analysis conducted at the request of WADA after the Olympics showed traces of steroids.

It is believed to be for Oxandrolone, a steroid used for burning fat.

The test in May is reportedly one of seven tests that Pishchalnikova had passed in 2012 before the Olympics.

Pishchalnikova, who won the 2011 world title in the women's discus in Daegu and finished second at London 2012, had already served a doping ban of two years and nine months from July 2008 to April 2011.


She could now face a life ban from the sport.

The 27-year-old was among seven leading female Russian athletes found guilty of manipulating drug samples before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

She also won silver at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka,but was stripped of the medal after the sport's governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), annulled all her results from May 2007.

Pishchalnikova had finished second behind Croatia's Sandra Perkovic at London 2012.

If she is disqualified China's Li Yanfeng will be promoted to the silver medal and Cuban Yareli Barrios to the bronze.

Pishchalnikova would be the third medallist from London 2012 to be stripped of her medal because of drugs.

Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus had her gold in the women's shot put taken away by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after testing positive for the anabolic steroid metenolone.

Last month, Uzbekistan wrestler Soslan Tigiev was stripped of his bronze medal because of a positive for methylhexaneamine, a dietary supplement,

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