KINGSTON
Jamaica’s 200 metres world champion Veronica Campbell-Brown has tested positive for a banned diuretic, sources close to Jamaican athletics told Reuters.
The sources said the doping violation occurred at the Jamaica International Invitational meeting on May 4 in Kingston.
Campbell-Brown, who won the Olympic 200 title in 2004 and 2008, is Jamaica’s most successful female athlete and the biggest name in track and field to fall foul of the drug testers since disgraced American sprinter Marion Jones.
Jones served a six-month prison sentence for perjury and was stripped of the five medals —including three golds—she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics after admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs.
Local media reports said Campbell-Brown had been present at the laboratory in Canada when her B sample was tested earlier this week.
The finding comes after Jamaican 400 metres runner Dominique Blake received a six-year ban on Thursday for her second doping violation since 2006.
Diuretics, which promote the production of urine and treat medical conditions including high blood pressure, are viewed as masking agents by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The penalty for a positive result ranges from a public warning to a two-year suspension depending on the circumstances.
The Jamaica Gleaner also reported that Campbell-Brown’s sponsors have been informed of the positive tests, while the IAAF are preparing a statement on the matter.
Campbell-Brown has since withdrawn from the June 29 Edmonton International Track Classic, and is also likely to miss Jamaica’s National Championships, and by extension, the 2013 IAAF World Championships, which run off from August 10.
Legendary Jamaica track coach Glen Mills has called for an accredited testing centre on the island. He also cautioned against judgement without facts.
“One can’t make any comment of great detail without knowing the circumstances,” he was quoted as saying by CMC. “However, it’s not something that our track and field would want to experience at this time, or anytime for that matter.
“Veronica Campbell has carried our flag with distinction over the years and I am waiting until I hear what are the details surrounding this incident because her reputation has been a solid one over the years and so one has to wait to hear her explanation as to what led to this situation,” he said.