Hardy protests innocence

Promising American swimmer Jessica Hardy has protested her innocence after failing a drugs test that threatens to end her Olympic dream before she has even reached Beijing.

The 21-year-old produced some brilliant swims at the US Olympic trials and was a big medal hope for the upcoming Games.

However, news emerged that she had tested positive for the banned drug Clenbuterol during the US trials last month, although she is fighting to get the tests overturned.

Hardy had three tests during the trials in Nebraska, and negative results came back from those on July 1 and July 6, but in between on July 4 Clenbuterol was found in both her 'A' and 'B' samples.

Hardy insists she has no idea what the substance was doing in her tests and is looking to get the tests overturned, with her two negative tests either side being used as evidence.

Now facing a two-year ban and missing out on her first Olympics, a distraught Hardy is desperate to clear her name.

Innocent

"I'm innocent," said Hardy, who spoke by telephone to The Associated Press accompanied by her attorney Howard Jacobs.

"That's all I can say to everybody. Whether or not people chose to believe me, I'm innocent.

"It's pretty much the hardest thing in my life that I've ever had to go through.

"I've cried every single day since I found out. I even vomited from anxiety. This is absolutely the worst time of my life."

Hardy is now training on her own as the rest of the US team left for Beijing, but is still hoping to join them for the Olympics.

"My training and my practices are really the only thing I have control over right now," she said.

"Honestly, I'm working as hard as possible. That's really the only thing I can do for myself.

"I'm just taking it one day at a time, one hour at a time. I have the same goals, the same dreams I've had my whole career.

"Those dreams are definitely still there. But I'm just living moment to moment."

Court case

Jacobs knows that it will be tough contesting the case so close to the Olympics - as he will first go to the American Arbitration Association and ask for an expedited ruling, so he would have time to make a case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who will set-up a court in Beijing if needed.

"If you're asking me would I like more time, obviously the answer would be 'yes,"' Jacobs said. "Most of these cases are done over a period of months, not days. But with the Games upcoming, that, of course, is not an option."

The preliminaries of Hardy's best event, the 100m breaststroke will take place on August 10, while the 50m freestyle starts five days later.