Doping test uncovers traces of banned steroid in Irish athlete

The Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) has been notified that the international 1,500m runner, Geraldine Hendricken, has failed an out-of-competition doping test, which has revealed traces of the banned anabolic steroid, nandrolone.

In a brief statement last night the AAI announced "with regret" that a positive result on the test had been returned, and that the athlete was currently being informed of the details.

Hendricken was expected to be part of the Irish team for the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham later this month, but she was not among the 13-member team named yesterday.

Last night Hendricken was clearly shocked by the revelation. "Obviously there is some sort of problem, but I don't know why and I don't know what it's all about. But this is the nightmare of every athlete, and that's all I can know about it at the moment.

"I check all the food supplements that I take to make sure they are clean, and I have honestly never taken anything illegal."

Hendricken confirmed that an out-of-competition test was carried out on her, as part of the Irish Sports Council's anti-doping programme, in Ireland on February 10th.

The AAI was informed last Friday evening that the A-sample revealed traces of nandrolone, one of the most popular and yet controversial performance-enhancing drugs in sport. The athlete can now request that the B-sample from the same test to be examined to confirm the presence of the drug. The case will then be referred to the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) which will determine the length of the suspension, which typically involves a two-year ban.

It marks the first major doping scandal involving an anabolic steroid to hit Irish athletics. A couple of Irish athletes have previously tested for minor offences involving prohibited medicines.

Hendricken produced several breakthrough performances over 1,500 metres last summer when, at the age of 32, she returned to the highest level of international competition after being absent for several years.

At the start of the summer she had a best of four minutes 16.42 seconds, set back in 1991, and by the end of season she had lowered that to 4:02.08 - good enough to rank her 14th fastest in the world.

Sonia O'Sullivan is the only Irish woman to have recorded a faster time over 1,500 metres.