Irina Nikolayevna Korzhanenko (Russian: Ирина Николаевна Коржаненко; born 16 May 1974 in Azov) is a former Russianshot putter. She gained international recognition when she won a bronze medal at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships. In the following years she became European Indoor champion, European champion and World Indoor champion.
Doping
Korzhanenko tested positive for doping at the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She lost the silver medal and was handed a two-year doping suspension.[1]
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she originally won the gold medal in shot put, but tested positive for stanozolol and was stripped of the medal. She later received a life ban from the IAAF in a Memorandum of 21 September 2005. Korzhanenko refused to return the gold medal,[2] despite the pressure of the International Athletics Federation's officials. As of 2023, she has not returned the gold medal.[3]