Shot putter won't return medal

2004-08-25 14:02

Moscow - Russia's Irina Korzhanenko, who won the Olympic Games shot put before being stripped of her gold after failing a drugs test, insisted on Wednesday that she would not give back her medal.

"It's so sweet to crucify the Olympic champion to prove that the war against doping is going on," she told the Izvestia newspaper.

"I don't believe either the results of the Greek laboratory or the activity of (anti-doping agency) Wada.

"I will not return my gold medal. I won it and I'm Olympic champion. I'm completely sure I did not use any doping."

Korzhanenko said she was innocent and labelled her dope test failure as "political provocation".

The shot putter said she has successfully passed numerous dope tests in the current season, adding she was deeply shocked with the results of the test in Athens.

"I'm an experienced athlete. I have already served a two-year ban, which was a violation of all existing rules," Korzhanenko said.

"I suspect that my failure to pass the test is somebody's mistake or it was done deliberately. I can give a 100%, a 200% guarantee that I did not use any banned drugs."

Korzhanenko also said she demanded the DNA testing of her samples and the samples that contained the banned steroid stanozolol, but her demand was rejected by Wada.

"Earlier this year I received a warning that some provocations were set up against our team in Athens," Korzhanenko said. "I think my case is just a kind of such a provocation."

- AFP