Olympic champion Merritt fails doping tests

Olympic and world 400 metres champion LaShawn Merritt has failed three doping tests for a banned substance and accepted a provisional suspension, his lawyer said yesterday. "LaShawn Merritt has accepted a provisional suspension as a result of positive...

Olympic and world 400 metres champion LaShawn Merritt has failed three doping tests for a banned substance and accepted a provisional suspension, his lawyer said yesterday.

"LaShawn Merritt has accepted a provisional suspension as a result of positive drug tests caused by his use of an over-the-counter male enhancement product," the American athlete's attorney Howard Jacobs said in a statement.

The statement said Merritt had used the product, which contained DHEA and pregnenolone, following the 2009 season.

"(It) caused LaShawn Merritt to test positive on three successive tests in October 2009, December 2009, and January 2010," the statement said.

Merritt, who upset favourite Jeremy Wariner to win the Olympic 400 metres title in Beijing two years ago, was not notified of the positive tests until March.

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