Maria Lasitskene Contemplates Retirement After Years of International Isolation in Track and Field

Russian Olympic high jump champion Maria Lasitskene mentioned on Tuesday that she is contemplating retirement at the age of 32, following nearly ten years of her nation being excluded from international competitions due to state-sponsored doping and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“I’m uncertain about when or if I’ll make a return,” Lasitskene told the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency. “Athletes in track and field have faced a suspension for a decade, and I find it hard to stay motivated to compete exclusively in domestic events.”

World Athletics imposed a ban on Russia in 2015 after a report from the World Anti-Doping Agency revealed a “deeply ingrained doping culture.” This ban was further extended in 2022 to include all athletes from Russia and Belarus following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Reports indicate that numerous Russian athletes have since opted to switch their sporting nationality in order to compete internationally.

Lasitskene secured Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 while representing the neutral Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). She has also made history as the first woman to clinch three consecutive world high jump titles in 2015, 2017, and 2019.

According to RIA Novosti, Lasitskene missed last winter’s Russian Athletics Championships for the first time in her career and is also absent from the national summer championships, which are set to begin Wednesday in the southern resort city of Sochi.

Her most recent competition was last August, where she achieved a tie for second place at the National High Jump Championships, clearing a height of 1.88 meters.