Yuliya Stepanova

Yuliya Igorevna Stepanova (née Rusanova; ; born 3 July 1986) is a Russian runner who specializes in the 800 metres track event. Stepanova was also an informant for World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) about Russia's large-scale doping program. In 2011 she won 3rd place in the 800 m race at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris and 2nd place in the 800 m race at the Russian Championships in Cheboksary the same year. All her results since March 2011 was stripped, because of abnormalities in her biological passport, which were found in 2013. She was banned for two years.

She said in a 2016 interview, "I knew it was banned but I think my coach prepared me well because he was telling me stories about how it's normal, that's what all athletes do."

Stepanova and her husband Vitaliy Stepanov, a former Chief Specialist of the Education Department of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), wrote letters to the World Anti-Doping Agency describing doping in Russia but received little response. Deciding she needed more evidence, she began secretly recording conversations between leading Russian sports officials, trainers, doctors and athletes about the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. The revelations led to an investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Russia was subsequently accused of running a state-sponsored doping program. Its taskforce recommended that Stepanova be allowed to compete due to her "truly exceptional contribution to the fight against doping in sport" including "great personal risks". but did not compete.

In July 2018, Stepanova testified before the U.S. Helsinki Commission in Washington, DC on the subject of doping in sports. She was on a panel alongside Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Administration, Jim Walden, the attorney for Russian Whistle-blower Grigory Rodchenkov, and Katie Uhlaender, a four-time Olympian competitor in skeleton. Stepanova claimed that speaking out against doping in Russia would have put her life at risk.

Personal life Rusanova was born and raised in Kursk. As of 2016, they lived in the United States.