Jamaican Sprinter Simpson Banned for 18 Months for Doping

Jamaican sprinter Sherone Simpson has been handed an 18-month ban for testing positive for a banned stimulant by the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission (Jadco).

The 4×100 relay gold and silver medalist and her training partner, a former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine at last year’s national championship.

They were two of five Jamaicans to test positive in what was a mass case of failed drug test, with Powell’s verdict set for Thursday.

Jamaica's Sherone Simpson Will Not Compete in Glasgow Commonwealth Game.
Jamaica’s Sherone Simpson Will Not Compete in Glasgow Commonwealth Game.

Simpson denied intentionally ingesting the banned substance in January, saying a supplement provided by his Canadian trainer was responsible for the positive test.

But a Jamaican anti-doping panel voted unanimously that Simpson was “negligent in all the circumstances”.

Olympic discuss thrower Allison Randall got a two-year suspension.

Randall, 25, who holds the Jamaican discuss record with a distance of 61.21m, tested positive for a banned diuretic hydro-chlorothiazide.

Simpson and Randall’s ban have been backdated to June 21, 2013, the date they provided the samples.

They will both miss the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July.