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The Russian Affair
- The True Story of the Couple Who Uncovered the Greatest Sporting Scandal
- Narrated by: Michael Fenner
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
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The Russian Affair
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Summary
'Reads like a thriller, or even a spy novel...Walsh keeps you gripped' Rosamund Urwin, Sunday Times
'A turbulent but ultimately inspiring tale. The candour...is rare and gripping' Matt Dickinson, The Times
It was the story that shocked the world: Russian athletics was revealed to be corrupt from top to bottom, with institutionalised doping used to help the nation's athletes win medals they did not deserve. But the full story of the couple who blew the whistle has never been told - until now.
When Russian anti-doping official Vitaly Stepanov met the young 800m athlete Yuliya Rusanova, for him it was love at first sight. Within two months, they were married. But there was a problem – in fact, there were lots of problems. She admitted she was doping and that everyone else was doping, and she let him know that she came from a dark place …
It could all have brought a very swift end to a very hasty marriage, but gradually the Stepanovs began to realise that whatever you did, the system in Russia was stacked against you. In the end, the only ones they could rely upon were each other. Fully aware of the risks they were taking, they decided to turn the tables on those who had manipulated them and cheated the sporting world.
The result of their investigative work sent shockwaves around the planet and led to Russia’s athletes being banned from world sport, while the Stepanovs themselves had to go into hiding. The Russian Affair is a gripping true-life drama that at times reads like a spy novel and at others like an epic love story. But, at the centre of it all, is a quietly determined couple who knew that if they stood together they could shine a light on a corrupt system and bring it crashing to the ground.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sheralyn
- 10-02-21
Worse than you thought!
Anyone who loves and follows sport will always have had suspicions but this is quite revelatory about the extent to which performance enhancing went on and how complicit the authorities were, at local and national level and most concerningly the impotent global agencies trying to counter it. One hopes that is now not the case. Broken down into three neat stages the reader warms to Julia in particular as the book progresses. Very well read, the accents are pretty plausible. As Sunday Times readers will know David Walsh knows his stuff. It does make you wonder about the ‘cleanliness’ of the sport we watch.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 08-01-21
Hard to put down !!
Excellent book. Brilliantly written with enthralling story line full of illuminating facts and interesting characters.
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- Anonymous User
- 15-08-20
Brilliant!
I was reluctant to purchase this but i have absolutely loved it!
Fantastic journalism by David Walsh and the narrator was brilliant
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- Caramelcow
- 01-10-20
wonderful book about a terrible situation
I had followed the story from a distance but reading the details has shocked me. How can we trust any of the leading sporting nations? It's not long before doping becomes legal and thus levelling the playing field.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- martin nally
- 06-03-21
Loved it. Story of great people
Great writer captivates the reader so you have to keep reading and listening. Another story that needed to be told.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- EarlyBhoy
- 27-11-20
compelling
Story on how Russian athletics cheated it's way to glory. The Stephanovs are hero's in the world of athletics. Story is well written by David Walsh a crusader in the anti doping world, well narrated story.
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- Harry Jones
- 09-09-20
Fascinating insight into the world of doping.
The narrator is superb, he does all the voices for the characters and hooks the listener straight away. The story is an insight into the lives of two people who are at the extreme ends of morality and with different backgrounds who are affected by the Russian state sponsored doping. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is either interested in sport or not.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- John
- 18-08-20
Very enjoyable
Good story as always by david Walsh. Really enjoyed the book. Very easy to listen to.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Phil
- 03-01-22
Wow - what a brave couple - great listen 👍😊
I heard about this book on a radio show & I’m so glad I purchased it to listen to - it’s a wonderful story of brave folk who had the courage to speak truth to power. I wish them a very long & fulfilled life & commend this audio book to anyone who thinks they may be interested in the unfolding events. The story is open, brutally honest & really well delivered by Michael Fenner.
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