National sprint champion Semoy Hackett has been banned for six months, after testing positive for the stimulant Methylhexanamine on August 13 last year, at the National Track and Field Championships.
The ban, however, took effect from September 16, 2011, and will end next Friday, March 16.
At a press conference, at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva yesterday, National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) secretary Allan Baboolal, said his organisation could not make a public statement on the issue until the case was completed.
He said the NAAA received a fax from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) last Thursday, "finally bringing closure to the matter".
Hackett’s urine sample was tested at an IAAF-accredited lab in Montreal, Canada. The IAAF informed the NAAA of the positive test on September 5, one day after the conclusion of the 2011 World Championships, in Daegu, Korea.
As part of the disciplinary process, Hackett attended a hearing in Trinidad, in October last year, before a committee comprising seven NAAA executive committee members--Baboolal, president Ephraim Serrette, Dr Ian Hypolite, George Comissiong, Dawn Washington, Paul Voisin and Robin Brereton.
Baboolal said six months is the minimum ban for Methylhexanamine.
The NAAA opted for leniency because the organisation is convinced Hackett’s doping was inadvertent.
"Miss Hackett," Serrette said, at yesterday’s press conference, "was initially at pains to explain how the substance got into her system, but finally recalled that she had taken a drink from another athlete, believing it to be a simple popular sport drink.
"A supplement had been added to the drink, unknown to Miss Hackett, and this turned out to be the source of the Methylhexanamine. The other athlete was also unaware that the supplement contained a banned substance.
"The NAAA," Serrette continued, "continues to advise its athletes as to their absolute responsibility for whatever substances they put into their bodies. The NAAA further advises athletes to pay careful attention to the contents of supplements, and to seek clarification from the association, or from relevant professionals."
The supplement ingested by Hackett is an over-the-counter product. Serrette said a list of questionable products will be provided to clubs in an attempt to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.
All Hackett’s performances, from the day of her positive test, August 13, till the end of her ban will be struck from the records.
As a result, the Trinidad and Tobago quartet that finished fourth in the women’s 4x100 metres relay at the 2011 World Championships will be disqualified.
Kai Selvon, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Hackett and Michelle-Lee Ahye, running in that order, clocked 42.58 seconds in the championship race. The same quartet produced a 42.50 national record run in the qualifying round. That record will be removed from the books.
Hackett will also lose the national 100 metres title she won at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on the day of her positive test. The Tobago sprinter clocked a wind-assisted 11 seconds flat to secure gold, beating Selvon (11.19) and Ahye (11.20) into second and third, respectively.
Selvon will become the new 100m national champion, the 19-year-old earning a belated sprint double. She had captured the 200m title in 23.27 seconds.
-Kwame Laurence
Source: www.trinidadexpress.com