Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell appeals doping ban
Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell has appealed against his 18-month doping ban.
Last Updated: 26/05/14 3:51pm
Powell and training partner Sherone Simpson both tested positive for banned stimulant oxilofrine after the 100m finals at the Jamaican nationals in June.
The 2008 Olympic champion in the 4x100m relay has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) requesting that they cut his suspension to three months.
Powell, who blamed his positive result on a nutritional supplement, was banned until December 28, 2014 by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission Disciplinary Panel.
CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb revealed that the date of the hearing has not yet been fixed and that Simpson was also appealing her 18-month suspension.
Powell, who held the 100m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, claims the punishment is too severe for the level and nature of the offence.
He blamed Canadian physical therapist Chris Xuereb for the positive test, saying he provided the nutritional supplement, Epiphany D1, that resulted in the failed test.
Jamaican athletics great Veronica Campbell-Brown was cleared to compete in February after CAS confirmed she had been found not guilty of a doping violation.
The 31-year-old, only the second woman athlete to win successive 200m Olympic titles when she won in 2004 and 2008, missed last year's outdoor World Championships after she tested positive for a banned diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide.
