First high-profile drugs case hits Games
Published: August 21, 2008- Digg
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BEIJING (AFP) - Ukraine's heptathlon silver medallist Liudmyla Blonska has failed a drugs test, the IOC confirmed Wednesday as the first high-profile doping failure hit the Beijing Olympics on the 13th day.
The 30-year-old had failed her A sample and the result of the B sample would be known Thursday.
Blonska faced a lifetime ban if both samples prove positive after serving a previous suspension for taking stanozolol, the anabolic steriod used by disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson.
"There has been an adverse finding in her A sample against her (Blonska)," and IOC source told AFP.
International Athletics Federation president Lamine Diack confirmed an investigation was underway.
"The procedure is running. The B-sample will no doubt be opened today and a decision taken tomorrow."
If confirmed, Blonska would be the fifth athlete to test positive, although the previous four only involved one podium finisher - North Korean shooter Kim Jong-Su, a minor medallist.
Meanwhile Jamaican sprinter was Usain Bolt, fuelled by chicken nuggets and yam in his bid to be the first man in 24 years to win the Olympic sprint double on Wednesday.
It's Bolt's favoured event, and he predicted when he smashed his world record in winning the 100m that he would repeat the double last achieved by Carl Lewis in 1984.
The 21-year-old Bolt owns the three fastest 200m times this season, ran an effortless semi-final on Tuesday and joked afterwards he was only jogging.
"I was just trying to make sure I was in a good position, keeping an eye on the board and seeing where everyone else was," he said, but indicating Michael Johnson's world record of 19.32 seconds may be out of reach.
"I'm not really worried about the world record," Bolt said. "I'm just coming here to win. That's the aim for me."
Defending champion Shawn Crawford and 100m bronze medallist Walter Dix, both members of a US track team that has failed to excel in Beijing, figure as Bolt's main rivals.




