Olympic Rio 2016: Weightlifting - Ilya Ilyin denies doping

Olympic gold medalist Ilya Ilyin tested positive drugs test, but the Kazakh maintains his innocence ahead of Rio 2016.\

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ilya Ilyin has denied taking a banned substance after reanalysis of a sample provided at London 2012 returned a positive finding.

Kazakh Ilyin, a four-time world champion, is one of four gold medal winners at the previous Games to have tested positive - compatriots Zulfiya Chinshanlo, Maiya Maneza and Svetlana Podobedova also returned adverse analytical findings.

On Wednesday, the International Weightlifting Federation subsequently handed the quartet provisional suspensions pending decisions in their cases.

Ilyin tested positive for dehydrochloromethyltestosterone and stanozolol but maintains his innocence and is confident he will be eligible to compete in Rio.

"The information [that a] doping test [was] positive was like thunderstorm during a sunny day to me," he wrote on his Instagram page. "Since 2004 all my doping tests were negative.

"I am continuing my work for the Olympic Games in Rio and planning to fight [until] the end.

"I sincerely believe by the end of June this situation will be solved. I have time [until] the middle of July to apply to participate in Rio.

"I truly believe that we can prove my eligibility in this absurdity and [the] groundlessness of the accusation."

Six other weightlifters also tested positive following reanalysis of samples supplied at London 2012.