Medal hope Brooke Stratton would favour banning Russia from the 2016 Olympic Games

HER idol was robbed by the Russians and long-jumper Brooke Stratton doesn’t want to suffer the same fate in Rio.

Brooke Stratton favours an Olympic ban for the Russians.

HER idol was robbed by the Russians and long-jumper Brooke Stratton doesn’t want to suffer the same fate in Rio.

Stratton put herself into the medal frame after breaking Bronwyn Thompson’s national record back in March with a leap of 7.05m in Perth.

Thompson’s career highlight was fourth place at the 2004 Athens Olympics but it was behind three Russians — two of whom were later caught doping.

And that’s why Stratton has joined a chorus of athletes calling for the International Olympic Committee to ban Russia.

“I personally don’t think they should (compete in Rio),” she said.

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The Court of Arbitration for Sport is set to rule early Friday morning on the legality of a recommendation by track and field’s world governing body (IAAF) banning 68 qualified Russian track and field athletes from Rio due to state-sponsored doping.

And then the International Olympic Committee’s executive board will decide on Monday whether to impose a blanket ban on Russia at the Rio Olympics.

Presently only two Russian track and field athletes — 800m runner and whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova and US-based long jumper Darya Klishina — have been given dispensation to compete in Rio under a neutral flag.

Medal contender Brooke Stratton says she doesn’t believe Russia should compete at the Rio Olympics.

“(Klishina) obviously wouldn’t have had a lot to do with it over in Russia which is fair enough,” said Stratton.

“I think if they send one or two athletes that haven’t been in Russia then they should just not send any at all.

“I think it will get the point across that what they are doing is wrong.”

Stratton has spent time in Brisbane with Thompson’s former coach Gary Bourne who has talked about the injustice.

Tatyana Lebedeva, who is now the vice-president of the Russian Athletics Federation, took the gold in 2004. The two other Russians on the podium, Irina Meleshina (silver) and Tatyana Kotova (bronze), later served doping bans but kept their Olympic medals.

“Occasionally he has brought up the fact that it was extremely unfair that Bronwyn placed fourth at the Olympics,” she said.

“He was just disappointed that she was coming through when there was a lot of doping in Russia and she definitely deserved to be on the podium the year she placed fourth.”

Only two others have jumped further than Stratton this year which has the 22-year-old Victorian excited about the possibilities in Rio.

“I don’t think the standard is as high as what it has been in the past so anything can happen,” she said.

“Only two women have jumped further than me this season which goes to show that if I could get a seven-metre jump out in Rio then I could be pretty competitive.

“My main goal for Rio is just to make the final after missing out at the world champs last year.

“Obviously I would love to win a medal and that would be amazing but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.

“I really want to go out and enjoy it, I’m sure if I’m in good enough shape and I can jump well then hopefully it places me among the medals.

“It’s definitely good to know that anything around the high six metres or low seven metres could potentially put me in a spot to medal.”

Stratton will have her last competition on the Gold Coast next Friday before flying to Florida for the Australian team camp.

Originally published as Medal hope Brooke Stratton would favour banning Russia from the 2016 Olympic Games