Gold medallists Daniel Godelli of Albania and Kim Un Ju of North Korea are among the eight athletes to produces "adverse analytical findings" for banned substances at the Championships.

Godelli, who won gold in the men's 77 kilogram category, tested positive for the steroid stanozolol, while Kim, winner in the women's 75kg category, failed for the steroids methyltestosterone and methandriol.

North Korea's Ri Jong-hwa is another medallist named by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) as the women's 58kg silver medallist tested positive for clenbuterol.

A further two Albanian's, Romela Begaj and Hysen Pulaku, failed tests for stanozolol, while three Uzbek lifters, Manzurahon Mamasaliyeva, Marina Sisoeva and Makhliyo Togoeva, tested positive for clenbuterol.

Daniel Godelli is one of two gold medallists to have failed drugs tests at the 2014 IWF World Championships ©Getty Images



All eight weightlifters will now have their B samples tested before any disciplinary action is determined.

Should their B samples come back positive, the athletes will likely face a two year ban for a first-time drugs violation, under the IWF Anti-Doping Policy.

Pulaku could, however, face a lifetime ban after he was suspended in 2012 for testing positive for the steroid stanozolol, the same drug he failed for at the World Championships.

The Albanians first violation caused him to be the first athlete ejected from the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The news also puts a black cloud over the state of North Korean weightlifting after what has been a hugely successful couple of months for the nation.

Prior to winning gold and silver in Almaty, Kim and Ri secured golds at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, helping the nation to second on the weightlifting medals table with four golds.

This was also their result in Almaty, where they again came in just behind China in the medals tables with four golds.

Doping has plagued weightlifting at recent sporting events with 16-year-old Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha stripped of her Commonwealth Games gold medal after testing positive for amilioride and hydrochlorothiazide in Glasgow.

The IWF has said it "will not make any further comment on the case until it is closed", in light of the most recent failed doping tests.

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