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Cyclist fails drug test
Athens - Colombian cyclist Maria Luisa Calle Williams has tested positive for a stimulant and could lose her bronze medal from the points race, Olympic officials said on Sunday.
It would be the sixth medal stripped because of doping violations during the Athens Games.
American Erin Mirabella of the United States would get the bronze if the International Olympic Committee takes it from Williams, who finished third in the points race on Wednesday.
Williams evidently didn't realize she was using a substance that is banned by the IOC, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. She would lose her medal anyway because athletes are responsible for what they take.
So far, two gold medalists (Hungarian discus thrower Robert Fazekas and Russian shot putter Irina Korzhanenko), one silver medalist (Hungarian weightlifter Ferenc Gyurkovics) and two bronze medalists (Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis and Ukranian rower Olena Olefirenko) have been stripped of their titles because of doping violations.
In another case, Hungarian hammer throw champion Adrian Annus is expected to testify Sunday before an IOC disciplinary panel investigating his drug test.
Annus failed to show up for a follow-up drug test at a crossing point along the Hungarian-Austrian border on Friday, putting his medal in jeopardy.
Annus tested negative after he won the gold medal on Aug. 22, then returned to Hungary. The IOC wants to find out whether he provided his own urine for the test or whether he tried to beat the screening system, as his teammate Fazekas allegedly did.
Fazekas lost his gold medal after Olympic authorities said he failed to provide enough urine for a drug test, a charge Fazekas disputes.
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