The result of Tour de France winner Floyd Landis' backup doping test will be announced on Saturday.
The analysis of Landis' "B" sample is expected to take place from tomorrow through Saturday at the Chatenay-Malabry anti-doping lab outside Paris, International Cycling Union (UCI) spokesman Enrico Carpani said yesterday.
Landis tested positive for an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone following the 17th stage of the Tour de France, where he staged a remarkable comeback in the Alps to make up for a poor performance the day before. If the "B" sample is negative, Landis would be cleared. If it is positive, which Landis' lawyers say they expect, he could be stripped of his Tour victory and banned for two years.
PHOTO: AP
The American cyclist has said that his body's natural metabolism -- not doping -- caused the result, and that he would undergo further tests to prove it.
The New York Times reported on Monday that tests on Landis' "A" sample show some of the testosterone in his system was synthetic, putting his defense into question. The report cited a person at the UCI with knowledge of the result.
UCI president Pat McQuaid said yesterday he had not seen the lab findings and could not confirm the report, but the cycling body had asked the French lab to speed up its analysis.
McQuaid said the uncertainty was not good for the sport.
"The longer it goes until the `B' sample is tested, the more speculation, and the more denial and the more of everything that goes on," he said.
Analysis of the B sample is a "two-and-a-half-day operation," he said, and the lab closes this weekend for the August vacation period.
Landis' lawyers in Spain filed an official request for the "B" test late on Monday. But Carpani said the UCI had already filed its own request earlier Monday because of concerns about the case dragging on.
Landis told reporters at a news conference on Friday in Madrid: "We will explain to the world why this is not a doping case but a natural occurrence."
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but