IT’S been a lonely Olympics for Darya Klishina, the only Russian track and field athlete allowed to compete in Rio following the allegations of state-sponsored doping in her native country.
The US-based sportswoman was only cleared to compete on Monday, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned her ban, and has qualified for today’s Women’s Long jump final.
Klishina, 25, admitted she’s finding it hard competing without her 67 teammates who were left at home in the wake of the scandal.
She said: “It is very hard being the only Russian, as normally we are a big team with big support, and I am alone.
“I want the Russian team here with me. I was nervous.
Last week Klishina was suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) based on “new information” it had received about her, though the organisation didn’t go into detail.
However CAS overruled the IAAF and cleared her to take part.
Stunning Klishina has an incredible 122,000 followers on Instagram – and looking at her photos, it’s easy to see why.
The blonde beauty regularly keeps fans entertained with sexy selfies and bikini shots.
A recent post of her on the beach checking her phone notched up an impressive 10,700 likes.
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Klishina, who has been based in Florida since 2011, is a two-time European indoor champion and won gold at the 2013 World Student Games in Kazan.
She was exempt from the ban implemented by the IAAF on Russian athletes as the organisation deemed she was being tested by a “credible anti-doping agency” due to her being based in America.
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