McEvoy and co receive boost after Russian rivals banned from Rio

THE men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team have moved one step closer to Olympic gold after a decision by FINA to ban Russian rivals from the Rio Games.

Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy’s chances of Rio gold just received a major boost.

AUSTRALIAN sprinter Cameron McEvoy and the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team have moved one step closer to Olympic gold after a decision by FINA to ban his biggest Russian rival from the Rio Games.

The International Olympic Committee’s decision not to apply a blanket ban on Russia for the Rio Games after revelations of serious systemic doping breaches still has ramifications in the pool with several swimmers banned from competing anyway.

FINA has demanded any athletes named in the McLaren report presented to WADA be banned from Rio, ruling out three Russian swimmers including Vladimir Morozov, Nikita Lobintsev and Daria Ustinova.

Kyle Chalmers, James Magnussen and Cameron McEvoy of Australia catch their breath after competing in the 4 x 100 metre Freestyle Relay during the 2016 Australian Swimming Championships.

That trio join the likes of current world 100m breaststroke champion Yulia Efimova in being ineligible for Rio as she was automatically banned for serving a previous doping offence.

But it is the absence of Morozov in the 100m freestyle that has ramifications for Australia.

Morozov’s best time of 47.62 seconds is the third fastest in the world since the last Olympic Games, behind only McEvoy (47.06s) and James Magnussen (47.53s) but ahead of current world champ Ning Zetao (47.65s) of China.

Morozov was expected to seriously challenge McEvoy in the 100m after his quest to win a world title on home soil in Kazan last year fell apart when he was disqualified for a false start in the semi-finals.

Russian swimmers Nikita Lobintsev, left, and Vladimir Morozov hold up their silver medals at the Swimming World Championships

Morozov was also the fastest swimmer in Russia’s 4x100m freestyle relay team that won the silver medal behind France at last year’s world titles.

Lobintsev was also a member of that Russian team and their absence now means the Australian team will enter the race among the contenders for gold.

Australia placed 13th at last year’s world titles, but a time trial swum at the Olympic selection trials in Adelaide would’ve placed them third in last year’s final just behind Russia.

Now Australia looms as the biggest threat to stop France at the Olympic Games.

FINA also announced all Russian drug samples from last year’s world titles in Kazan would be retested at the WADA laboratory in Barcelona.

Originally published as McEvoy and co receive boost after Russian rivals banned from Rio