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Hours after winning a gold medal in the 30-kilometre cross-country race, Larissa Lazutina of Russia was disqualified for failing a urine test.

Lazutina was stripped of her medal and disqualified after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug darbepoetin - related to EPO but much stronger.

She had matched Winter Olympic records by earning her 10th career podium finish and sixth gold medal.

Team-mate Olga Danilova, who finished eighth, also was disqualified, as was Spain's Johann Muehlegg, who claimed his third gold of the Games on Saturday in the men's 50k, for using the same substance.

All three athletes were banned from the Salt Lake City Games on the final day for contaminated urine samples which were taken on Thursday.

The Russian Olympic Committee was notified of the test results on Saturday, but their athletes still raced in the women's most gruelling event of the Games.

But Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachev insisted: "We will fight for justice here.

"We don't yet have the full medical information, but we will appeal to the Court for Arbitration of Sport to fight for the honour of our athletes."

The defending bronze medallist in the 30k, Lazutina had battled the Soldier Hollow course for one hour 29 minutes nine seconds, rejoicing before and after she crossed the finish line.

A pair of Italian veterans finished behind the Russian as Gabriella Paruzzi posted a time of 1:30:57.1, just 4.5 seconds ahead of Stefania Belmondo.

Following Lazutina's disqualification, Paruzzi and Belmondo were awarded gold and silver, respectively, with Bente Skari of Norway taking bronze after her fourth-place finish in 1:31:36.3.

"I was surprised when I heard," Paruzzi said.

"It's what is right," added Skari, who won her third medal of the Games. "If she did something wrong, I deserve to get a medal."

Lazutina would have won her third medal of the Games, having taken silver in the 15k freestyle mass start and 5k freestyle pursuit.

She will keep those medals because she had not tested positively at the time of the events.

Lazutina's problems began on Thursday morning, when she failed a blood test 30 minutes before the 4x5k relay - an event Russia had won each of the previous four Olympics.

She then was ordered to give a urine test.

"I believe today what happened was supposed to happen in the team relay," Lazutina said following the race. "I proved that the Russians are the best."

Because haemoglobin tests conducted by the International Ski Federation are done to protect the athlete, Lazutina and her team-mates were prevented from running the race, even though she passed a test administered by her own team.

The initial controversy set off a disturbing chain of events, with the Russian Olympic Committee threatening to boycott the Games because of bias toward its athletes in cross-country, figure skating and hockey.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge squashed the threat by sending a letter to Russian president Vladimir Putin, assuring him all officiating had been impartial.

Lazutina put the distractions aside and blistered the field but was disqualified hours after announcing her retirement from the Olympics.

Paruzzi and Belmondo also said these Winter Games would be their last.

Paruzzi said: "I hope I won't be remembered as my winning a medal because of Lazutina's drug test. I hope that it will be remembered as my medal. I have won it with my craft and with my hard work."

Asked about Lazutina's disqualification, Belmondo said, "I don't want to comment much about that. I am very tired of the doping situation."

Skari was awarded her third medal of the Games she won gold in the 10k and bronze in the relay.

Muehlegg, German-born but competing for Spain, failed the test for darbepoetin on Thursday.

The 31-year-old will lose his 50kilometre classical gold which he won on yesterday.

Darbepoetin, a synthetic version of EPO which increases the number of oxygen-carrying red cells in the bloodstream, is not named on the IOC's list of prescribed substances.

But IOC medical officer Arne Lundqvist confirmed that the athletes had still broken the IOC's anti-doping rules.

"It's true that the substance is not specifically named," he said.

"But any analogous substance to EPO is banned."

He added: "Any substance that will be performance-enhancing or dangerous to your health is banned."

But IOC director general Francois Carrard confirmed that all three athletes would be able to appeal against the decision.

He said: "The system which exists now of course protects the rights of the athletes to appeal to a court of arbitration."

PA International