Russian swimming champion Yulia Yefimova has been provisionally suspended for a second doping violation and she now faces a possible lifetime ban.
Yefimova, 23, a breaststroke specialist who has won four world titles and an Olympic bronze medal, is the latest high-profile name caught up in doping scandals in Russia.
She was considered one of Russia's top medal hopes for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.
The Russian Swimming Federation said on March 17 that it was notified by an international governing body that Yefimova was temporarily suspended "in connection with a possible breach of antidoping rules."
Russian media have reported that Yefimova, who has been based in the United States since 2011, tested positive for meldonium, a drug that was banned on January 1.
Yefimova could be barred from competing for life if found guilty of the second doping offense.
She was previously stripped of five European championship medals and suspended from competition after testing positive for the banned steroid DHEA in 2013.
