Another track athlete coached by Trevor Graham has reportedly tested positive for banned performance-enhancing drugs.
Sprinter LaTasha Jenkins tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone in July, a source familiar with the results told reporters on Thursday. Only the "A" test has been conducted, said the source, who asked not to be identified because the results have not officially been made public.
The test was done in July by the International Association of Athletics Federations in Europe. If the second "B" test is positive, Jenkins could face a minimum two-year ban from competition.
PHOTO: AP
Jenkins' positive test first was reported on Thursday on the Web site of the Chicago Tribune newspaper.
Graham has had several athletes test positive for banned substances, including Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin. The co-world record holder in the 100m tested positive for testosterone and other steroids at the Kansas Relays on April 22.
On Tuesday, Gatlin reached an agreement with the US Anti-Doping Agency not to contest the positive results. In response, USADA issued a ban for a maximum of eight years. Gatlin can reduce the ban substantially by cooperating with investigators.
Graham, former coach of Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, has been banned from using US Olympic Committee training facilities.
Jenkins, 28, finished third in the 200 meters at the US track and field championships in Indianapolis in late June. In 2001, she won the silver medal in the 200m at the world indoor championships and the bronze in the same event at the world outdoors.
She announced her retirement in 2003 but returned to the sport the following year.
Her best time of this season, 22.50 in a semifinal heat in Indianapolis, ranks 11th on this year's world list. Four Americans have run faster.
Jenkins is the third US track athlete to test positive for banned drugs recently. The others are Gatlin and Jones, who tested positive for the endurance-enhancer EPO after winning the 100m at the US championships on June 23.
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