The assertion made in that article was a tad premature - it says:
As of Thursday morning, data on the distances covered and speeds reached by individuals and teams at the World Cup showed Russia’s players had collectively run further than any other team in both matches.
... except, as of last Thursday morning, only 12 of 32 teams had played two games.
It turns out that Russia, as a team, have covered more distance in their first two matches (145 miles according to the FIFA website) than anyone else (Australia are second on 140 miles), and so
now it would be fair to make the point quoted above, but I'd like to see individual player stats like those shown in that article now.
Also, Russia's first game was against the lowest ranked team in the tournament - Russia themselves are the second lowest, but their ranking is probably lower due to the fact that they didn't play any qualifiers.
All of that said, there is definitely a need to monitor the Russian team, and there needs to be verifiable testing and results - the scale of doping in Russian sport is unprecedented, and hence it is only wise (and indeed fair) to keep a close eye on how their players are performing physically.
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Panama v Tunisia is going to be carnage - corners are going to be fun to watch!
