The Czech tennis player was disqualified for six months for the same drug that was found in Valieva’s possession.

Czech tennis player Nikola Bartunkova has been suspended for six months, the press service of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reports.

Following an investigation, the ITIA concluded that the 18-year-old athlete’s positive tests for trimetazidine were caused by contamination of a supplement containing milk thistle extract. The violation was found to be unintentional, so the athlete did not bear substantial fault or negligence.

Bartunkova was temporarily suspended in April; she tested positive in February and March. The period of temporary suspension was counted towards the period of disqualification, so from November 11 the tennis player can return to competition.

In 2023, the Czech became a finalist at junior Wimbledon.

Previously, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was suspended for a positive test for trimetazidine. At the end of January, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules. The Russian woman’s suspension period starts on December 25, 2021, and her results have been canceled since that date. The athlete was deprived, among other things, of gold at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing in the team tournament and the 2022 European Championship.

The Russian team won the team tournament of the 2022 Games, but after Valieva was disqualified for violating anti-doping rules, the results of the competition were revised. As a result, the Russian team moved to third place.