Jamaican star sprinter tests positive

Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown has tested positive for a banned drug and won't defend her 200m world title this year, Jamaican media reported Saturday.

The Gleaner newspaper and Television Jamaica both reported that the sprinter tested positive for the banned diuretic lasix, although an official with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association said the federation had been notified only that a Jamaican athlete's "A" sample had tested positive.

The JAAA official could not confirm the gender of the athlete, the substance discovered by the test nor whether the backup "B" sample had also tested positive.

The government minister with responsibility for sports Natalie Neita Headley stressed the country's commitment to anti-doping as she urged athletes to "remain focused" ahead of Jamaica's world championship trials June 21-23.

"We await the outcome of the due process. We continue to be proud of our rich sporting history and tradition and of all of our athletes who give of their best in representing Jamaica in the various sporting disciplines locally and internationally," she said in a statement that did not mention any athlete by name.

"We encourage our athletes to remain focused and disciplined during this time of the staging of our national Junior and Senior Championships.

"As a country, we are committed to our anti-doping program and the preservation of integrity in sport."

The Gleaner reported that the sample in question was provided by Campbell-Brown at the Jamaica Invitational on May 4 at Kingston.

Campbell-Brown has withdrawn from the June 29 Edmonton International Track Classic in Canada and will not compete in the Jamaican national championships next weekend or the world championships at Moscow in August, The Gleaner reported.

Campbell-Brown, who turned 31 a month ago, won Olympic 200m gold in 2004 at Athens and 2008 at Beijing but finished fourth last year at the London Games behind reigning champion Allyson Felix of the United States.

She took bronze in the London Olympic 100m and silver as a member of the 4x100 relay at last year's Games.

In all, Campbell-Brown has collected 16 medals for Jamaica in world and Olympic meets.

Campbell-Brown won the 100m title at the Jamaica meet last month in 11.01 seconds.

The Gleaner reported that lasix, which is banned under the World Anti-Doping code as a potential masking agent, was first detected in Campbell-Brown's "A" sample and she was notified on June 3.

The newspaper said Campbell-Brown was in Montreal on Thursday for the "B" sample test, which was confirmed as positive on Friday.

(China Daily 06/17/2013 page23)