The Russian Affair

‘An extraordinary and unlikely romance; and a remarkable tale not just of love but of courage….[Stepanov’s] persistence in becoming one of sport’s most remarkable whistleblowers…is staggering given everything set against him. When David Walsh, the chief sports writer of The Sunday Times, set out to meet the Stepanovs for the first time, he thought he was writing a doping story…but in The Russian Affair, he has ended up with so much more. The extraordinary, lurching relationship between Vitaly and Yuliya lies at the heart of a turbulent but ultimately inspiring tale. The candour with which they have allowed Walsh to tell their story is rare and gripping.’ – Matt Dickinson * The Times *‘Vitaly Stepanov and Yuliya Stepanova are the doping tester and the drug-taking runner whose unlikely love for one another gives them the moral strength to act as whistleblowers.’ – Nick Greenslade * Sunday Times, Sport Books of the Year *‘What makes this account of Russia’s state-sponsored doping so utterly compelling is that at its heart it is a love story about the young couple who blew the lid on the scandal. It is a tale of the implausible, complex and fractious relationship between Vitaly Stepanov and Yuliya Rusanova… The story reads like a fast-paced thriller… This masterful work is so much more than a story about drugs, cover-ups and corruption… A beautiful record of a compelling and emotional journey.’ – James Restall * The Times, Sports Books of the Year *‘More than one review has likened Walsh’s book to a Cold War thriller, the true story of the committed anti-doping official who falls in love and marries a star 800m runner who turns out an admitted drugs cheat. The book is a journey through deception, betrayal, infidelity, and an eventual escape from the country.’ – Damien O’Meara * RTE *

David Walsh is chief sportswriter for the Sunday Times and has won the UK Sportswriter of the Year title four times. For more than 12 years, he pursued the Lance Armstrong story, and wrote Seven Deadly Sins about it. The book was named Sports Book of the Century by the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards and turned into the film, The Program. Married with seven children, he lives in Newmarket. His latest book is The Russian Affair, about the Russian doping scandal.

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