Sport 08-02-2000 Olympic Medallist Fails Drug Test who: 400 metres athlete Mark Richardson what: Reveals that he has tested positive for nandrolone when: Yesterday snippet: "Mark Richardson, Europe`s leading 400 metres runner of last year, revealed yesterday that he is the latest British athlete to have tested adversely for nandrolone," reports Mike Rowbottom in The Independent this morning. "The 27-year-old Windsor runner, who showed up metabolites of the banned steroid in a urine sample taken on 27 October, now looks certain to miss this year`s Olympic Games." "I have nothing to hide," he told reporters yesterday. "I have never taken anabolic steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs. If this issue drags on and I miss the Olympics, I am walking away from the sport." "Richardson is the FOURTH British athlete to test positive for the drug in the past 12 months," says The Sun. "He follows Olympic 100m gold medallist Linford Christie, European 200m champion Doug Walker and 400m hurdler Gary Cadogan." Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey and Germany`s 1992 Olympic 5000m champion Dieter Baumann have also suffered bans as a result of testing positive for Nandrolone. Richardson will have a preliminary hearing in front of the UK Athletics board later this month. [... more]

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