Athletics: Irish athlete tests positive for banned drug

An Irish athlete has tested positive for a banned substance, the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) said today.

"It is with regret that the AAI must announce that a positive result has been returned from an 'A' sample provided by an Irish athlete," a spokesman said.

Irish media identified the athlete as Geraldine Hendricken, a 1500m runner who was not in the Irish team announced yesterday for the world indoor championships in Birmingham later this month.

The Irish Times newspaper quoted Hendricken as saying she had never knowingly taken anything illegal.

"Obviously there is some sort of problem, but I don't know why and I don't know what it's all about," she said.

"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," she was reported as saying.

The AAI declined to name the athlete but said it would follow guidelines laid down by the International Association of Athletic Federations.

Irish media said the banned substance was understood to be the anabolic steroid nandrolone.

The athlete can ask for the B-sample from the same test to be examined to confirm the presence of the drug.