British hurdler Callum Priestley suspended over failed doping test
If found guilty Priestley would not start a competitive race for two years following a ban.
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Friday, 05, Mar 2010 04:07
by Sam Ross.
Hurdler Callum Priestley has been provisionally suspended from all competitions and the UK Athletics' World Class Performance Programme after failing a doping test.
Priestley, who won the 60m hurdles at the UK Championships in Sheffield last month, has been suspended following positive test results that indicated the presence of the drug Clenbuterol.
Clenbuterol is used by asthma patients to make breathing easier but is abused by athletes as a performance enhancing substance to obtain maximum muscle mass and strength.
The suspension follows an out-of-competition test in South Africa in January and if found guilty Priestley will face a two-year ban.
But the athlete does have the opportunity to respond to the charge, including the right to a full hearing of the case.
A disappointed Niels de Vos, UK Athletics chief (UKA) executive, backed the work of anti-doping to maintain the integrity of Athletics, which is, often overshadowed by drug cheats.
He said: "I am hugely disappointed that there has been a failed test. UKA continues to give 100 per cent support to the work of [the UK Anti-Doping Agency] and we maintain our full commitment to drug free sport.