She originally was awarded gold medals at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, and the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

[2] In December 2014, in an undercover documentary filmed by a Russian whistleblower which aired on German TV, Savinova admitted to injecting testosterone and using the anabolic steroid oxandrolone.

"[3][4] The footage led to Savinova's blood samples being re-examined and launched an investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency into Russia.

The case was referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in 2017.”[6] Not long after, in November 2015, Savinova was one of five Russian runners the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommended to receive a lifetime ban for doping during the London Olympics, along with Ekaterina Poistogova.

The CAS upheld the four-year ban for Savinova, nullified her results from July 2010 to August 2013, and stripped her of the medals she was awarded during that time, including prize money and appearance fees.