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American sprint stars banned

13/12/2005

Tim Montgomery, the former 100m world record holder, has been hit with a two-year ban by the court of arbitration for sport (CAS) for doping offences.

The 30-year-old American sprinter had been investigated by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after Victor Conte, the head of the controversial Balco laboratory in California, who was also jailed for steroid distribution, admitted supplying Montgomery.

Montgomery never actually tested positive for any substances but CAS, the independent Lausanne-based group, confirmed that evidence did exist to prove illegal performance-enhancing drugs had been taken.

The athlete is believed to have been supplied by Conte with designer steroid THG (tetrahydrogestrinone), EPO (erythropoietin) and insulin.

Montgomery now becomes the highest profile athlete to be suspended since Canadian Ben Johnson tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol after winning the 1988 Seoul Olympic 100m final in a world record time of 9.79 seconds.

The American had become the first sprinter to ever eclipse Johnson's illegitimate time in 2002 when he clocked 9.78 seconds at the Paris grand prix final.

Ironically, Britain's disgraced 100m runner Dwain Chambers, who tested positive for THG in 2003, finished second to Montgomery in this Paris race. Chambers is now nearing the end of his two-year ban.

Meanwhile, Montgomery's fellow American sprinter Chryste Gaines has been hit with an identical punishment. She and Montgomery were both members of Balco before Conte was jailed for four months.

The start date for their bans back-dates to June 6th this year. Both athletes' results and awards achieved since March 31st 2001 will be cancelled.

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