Ilya Ilyin: I'm young enough to win again
The two-time Olympic champion thanked all Kazakhstanis for support amid doping scandal he and other weightlifters are linked to. He also revealed that he will travel to Rio de Janeiro for the upcoming Olympic Games in any case while speaking at the 19th session of the regional branch of the People's Assembly of Kazakhstan, Kazinform refers to 24.kz.
"It's a blow under the belt," Ilyin said after re-test of his blood sample turned out to be positive and he was provisionally suspended by the IWF as well as other Kazakhstani weightlifters. "We didn't expect that at all. We're shocked. But it's fine now. We're working, we're training. If we aren't able to participate, we will inspire others. My team is my team. They are training for the Olympic Games. I think we will do our best for our country and win a medal. One thing I want to say is that I was honest. I worked hard day and night. But I'm young enough to do it all again and to win again."
Recall that the IWF provisionally suspended Kazakhstani weightlifters Ilya Ilyin, Maiya Maneza, Zulfiya Chinshanlo and Svetlana Podobedova for anti-doping rule violations at the 2012 London Olympics. On June 4 it was revealed that re-test of their blood samples submitted during the Olympics turned out to be positive.
