Monte Carlo - The IAAF, the governing body of world athletics, has imposed two-year doping bans on eight Russian athletes for testing positive for the banned blood-booster EPO.

It emerged Thursday that the athletes include Vladimir Kanaikin, the 20-kilometre walk world record holder, and Alexei Voyevodin,
50km walk bronze medalist at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Last month, seven Russian athletes were suspended for two years by the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) for tampering with doping samples.

The athletes named included Yelena Soboleva, who earlier this year set a world indoor record in the women's 1,500 metres and two-time world 1,500 champion Tatyana Tomashova.

New York - Two competitors in last Sunday's New York City Marathon have since died, organizers confirmed Tuesday.

A 58-year-old man from Brazil collapsed after crossing the finishing line and later died at the Lennox Hill Hospital while a 66- year-old American, who walked the distance, suffered a heart attack several hours after completing the race.

"There's nothing harder for us than when one of our participants doesn't make it home at the end of the day. We express our deepest condolences to the athletes' families," said Mary Wittenberg, president of the New York Runners.