By Zhao Rui (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-11 09:19

Top Chinese triathlete Wang Hongni was banned for two years by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) for a doping offense, the country's sports authority confirmed yesterday.

The 24-year-old ironwoman tested positive for exogenous metabolites of testosterone during an out-of-competition drug test conducted on August 24. Her positive test will force her to miss the Beijing Olympics.

China's top female triathlete Wang Hongni smiles after winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in Doha last year. The Chinese sports authority confirmed yesterday that the triathlete was banned for two years due to a positive test. [Xinhua]

The ITU announced the suspension on Tuesday and Chinese Triathlon Association (CTA) confirmed the news yesterday.

"This is an individual case," CTA director Wang Jianguo told the association's official website Sports.cn. "Her suspension won't hamper our preparation for the Beijing Olympics."

Wang is the second high-profile Chinese athlete to be banned for doping since the 2004 Athens Games. Long-distance runner Sun Yingjie tested positive at the Chinese National Games in 2005.

The ITU website said Wang didn't dispute taking the drug after the "B" sample came back positive. She waived her right to a hearing and accepted the suspension from last Saturday to October 5, 2009.

As an Asian Games gold medalist and a two-time Asian Cup winner, Wang is arguably the No 1 Chinese prospect for the Beijing Games. She is one of two Chinese triathletes who have competed in the Olympics - she finished a respectable 40th in the triathlon at the Athens Games while her teammate Xing Lin failed to finish the race.

Under the Beijing Games qualification system, the top 55 ranked men's and women's athletes will automatically qualify for the 2008 Olympics.

Before the suspension, Wang was well on her way to the Olympics - at No 28, she was the highest-ranked Chinese at the ITU World Cup series. She also had some impressive showings in the four events she participated in, including a bronze-medal finish at the Des Moines stop of the series.

Triathlon has been around for a long time worldwide, but China set up its first professional team in the army in 1994 when it was seen as only a military sport. It was not until 2000 that China set up a national triathlon team, and most of its new recruits came from swimming teams.

According to CTA director Wang Jianguo, China has about 200 registered triathletes in CTA, a far cry from Europe where France boasts more than 20,000 competitors and Spain about 15,000.

Without Wang, a breakthrough will depend on Xing Lin, who ranked No 41 in the world and placed a personal-best 17th at the World Cup series in Beijing last month.

China has made a tremendous effort to make the Beijing Games a "clean Olympics". The country tested 9,424 athletes last year and is expected to test another 10,000 this year.

The number of doping tests at the Beijing Games will increase to 4,500, up from 3,700 in Athens in 2004. A new laboratory has been set up in Beijing to meet the needs of doping tests during the Games.