Paris, Aug 30: Newly crowned world 400 metres champion Jerome Young admitted to a newspaper that he had tested positive for steroids in 1999 but added it was a closed book. The 27-year-old American was allowed to run in Sydney after he was cleared on appeal by an internal inquiry following his testing positive for Nandrolone in 1999 and went on to win gold in the 4x400m relay having run in one of the heats.
Young, who is due to run for the USA 4x400m relay team that begins its competition today, admitted he had failed the test.
"Yes, it`s something that happened," he told the paper. "But it`s something that I`ve moved on from. It`s something I don`t want to talk about.” However, while IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said they would endeavour to get in touch with young, the report in the newspaper was not sufficient under their rules.
The IAAF rules that athletes can be banned if they admit either orally in a verifiable manner or in writing that they had committed an offence in the previous six years.
However, the United States Olympic Committee issued a statement on Thursday saying reopening the case would serve no purpose and would be a setback to the battle against doping. "We consider this case to have already been adjudicated in accordance with the applicable rules of the time," the statement said. Bureau Report