Sprinter Latasha Jenkins defeated the US Anti-Doping Agency in her appeal to overturn the ban leveled against her for nandrolone use. The USADA is now 35-1. The Canadian Press with the story:
American sprinter LaTasha Jenkins is free to compete again after the World Anti-Doping Agency dropped its appeal of a U.S. arbitration ruling that cleared her of a positive drug test.
The decision means Jenkins is the first athlete to beat the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on a drug charge.
Jenkins, a silver medallist over 200 metres at the 2001 world indoor championships and bronze medallist at the 2001 world outdoors, tested positive for the steroid nandrolone at a meet in Brussels, Belgium, in July 2006.
She was cleared in December by a three-person U.S. arbitration panel. It ruled the results of her test were compromised because both European labs testing her sample violated international standards that require the tests be run by two different technicians.
WADA appealed that ruling in February to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, but has now dropped the case.
Jenkins trained with steroid-tainted coach Trevor Graham. Interesting that the defense attorney for Jenkins sneered at the dope tests. Perhaps the lab procedures need tweaking but dude get a grip: Graham's charges (Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery) flood the doping courts with the juice.
The decision upholds the earlier arbitration ruling, which broke the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's 35-0 record of prosecuting American athletes in front of arbitration panels.
Jenkins was defended by the Valparaiso University Sports Law Clinic.
"It was a good day for athletes," said Michael Straubel, a Valparaiso Law School Professor who argued the case along with four university law students.
Jenkins had been coached by Trevor Graham, who is charged with three felony counts of making false statements to federal investigators. The government has accused him of lying in 2004 when he denied distributing steroids or telling his athletes where they could get them. He is scheduled to go on trail next month.
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