Drugs test shock for Hendricken

ATHLETICS: Geraldine Hendricken was last night "shocked and confused" at the news that the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) have been notified of her failed out-of-competition doping test, which revealed traces of the banned anabolic steroid, nandrolone.

She denied any use of illegal substances, and was still awaiting formal notification from the AAI on the details of the test results.

In a brief statement released yesterday evening the AAI announced "with regret" that a positive result on the test has been returned, and that the athlete was being informed of the details by registered post.

Hendricken only arrived at her Carlow home late last night having been in Dublin yesterday to receive treatment on an injured calf muscle.

Earlier in the day Hendricken was due to be named on the Irish team for the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham later this month having secured the necessary qualifying time over 1,500 metres, but she was not among the 13-member team subsequently announced. No explanation was given.

At that point, however, Patsy McGonigle, team manager with the AAI, was not in a position to confirm the identity of the athlete involved in the positive drugs test.

In the statement the AAI also confirmed their intention to adhere to all procedural matters relating to this result as determined by the IAAF rules.

When contacted last night Hendricken confessed to have put two and two together, even if she had yet to receive official word on the test results.

"Obviously there is some sort of problem," she said. "And there's no point in me trying to deny I'm not involved here. 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 know about it at the moment.

"As of today I was thinking about running in the World Indoor Championships, and I've no knowledge of anything else. I do take food supplements but I check all of them to make sure they are clean, and I have honestly never taken anything illegal. So all this is a big, big shock for me, and I'm very confused about it as well."

Hendricken confirmed that an out-of-competition test was requested from her in Ireland on February 10th. Those tests are carried out as part of the Irish Sports Council's anti-doping programme, and she had undergone a similar test in January, and was also tested after winning the National Indoor 1,500 metre title in Belfast on February 16th.

Last Friday evening the AAI were informed that the A sample from that February 10th test revealed traces of nandrolone, one of the most popular and yet controversial performance enhancing drugs in sport.

"I know all about nandrolone," added Hendricken, "but I would never take it."

Under the IAAF procedures the athlete can now request for 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 IAAF anti-doping committee who will determine the length of the suspension, which typically involves a two-year ban.

This case marks the first major doping scandal involving an anabolic steroid to hit Irish athletics. A couple of Irish athletes have previously tested positive for minor offences involving prohibited medicines, most notably 5,000 metre runner Marie McMahon at the Atlanta Olympics, and long jumper Jonathan Kron a few years previously. Both athletes escaped with a warning.

Hendricken's breakthrough performances over 1,500 metres last summer had surprised many in the sport but she consistently put her improvements down to a more efficient training programme.

Yet, it was remarkable for an athlete at the age of 32 to return to the highest level of international competition after being absent 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.

Though she had a disappointing run at the European Championships in August, she later came back to finish third at the Grand Prix final, where she earned herself $20,000. It is certain, however, that she would have undergone regular in-competition and out-of-competition testing during that time.

It is also well known that the steroid nandrolone has been the subject of several controversies in world sport in recent years.

Former Olympic sprint champions Linford Christie and Merlene Ottey are among the high profile athletes to have also tested positive for the substance, but subsequently avoided any suspension by their national federations, while the drug has also created much controversy in tennis, rugby and swimming.

Part of the problem in testing for the substance is that the body can naturally create a form of nandrolone, particularly if the athlete has eaten large quantities of meat or other food supplements contaminated with the substance.

Other dietary supplements have been revealed to produce the same banned substances when broken down in the body.

The IAAF, however, has taken a strict stance over the matter, saying that it is the athlete's ultimate responsibility to prevent illegal nandrolone levels from showing up in tests.

What is clear is that the steroid does have a remarkable effect on the athlete's ability to train and compete at the highest level - and perhaps more importantly improve the recovery period from high-intensity training.

The steroid also promotes the development of muscle in the body by stimulating the production of protein.

The exact details of Hendricken's test will only be released after a decision is made on the opening of the B sample. The Irish Sports Council, however, would not comment on when those details may be known.