KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - Jamaican Olympic sprinter Sherone Simpson was banned from her sport until Dec. 20 after testing positive for a banned substance.
The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission on Tuesday said Simpson was “negligent in all the circumstances.” The 18-month ban began from the date of her sample collection on June 21, 2013.
The commission also banned Jamaican Olympic discus thrower Allison Randall for two years. She will not be able to compete until June 2015. Her ban also started June 21, 2013.
Simpson, an Olympic 4x100-relay gold and silver medalist, has said she was not a “cheat” and never intentionally took the stimulant oxilofrone.
Simpson’s agent, Paul Doyle, called the ruling “incredibly unjust” and said they would appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport. He said two labs were commissioned to test the suspected supplement, called “Epiphany D1,” and both determined oxilofrone was present and not declared on the label.
“The fact that the panel has given 18 months’ suspension and have provided no explanation as to why is unacceptable in our opinion,” Doyle said in an email to The Associated Press.
Former 100-meter world record holder Asafa Powell also tested positive for oxilofrone at the June national championships. The three-member panel is expected to rule Thursday on his case.
Simpson blamed her newly hired Canadian trainer for providing her with a supplement that led to the positive test at the meet. The 29-year-old sprinter says she was bothered by a hamstring injury at the time.
Simpson has said she researched the supplement before taking it and nothing “raised a red flag or an alarm bell.” She acknowledges not disclosing the new supplement on doping control forms.
Her former trainer, Christopher Xuereb, has told the AP he never gave Simpson or Powell any performance-enhancing drugs and purchased only major brand vitamins. In July, he told the AP the two sprint stars were looking for a scapegoat.
Simpson did not attend Thursday’s session. Her lawyer, Kwame Gordon, said she was training in the U.S. and was not able to fly back in time.
Randall appeared on Skype during Tuesday’s hearing and showed no reaction after the ruling.
She represented Jamaica during the 2012 Olympics and tested positive for a banned substance at the national championships. She testified that she believed the failed test stemmed from a supplement called “Animal Pak.” The commission could not establish how the substance entered her body.
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