'I am not a cheat', stunned Ujah insists

LONDON • British sprinter C.J. Ujah has expressed his "shock and devastation" after a positive drug test that could see his quartet stripped of their Olympic silver medal in the 4x100m relay.

The 27-year-old ran the first leg of the final in Tokyo as Britain narrowly missed gold - Italy pipped them by a hundredth of a second - only for the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to announce last Thursday he had been provisionally suspended after prohibited substances showed up in tests.

Joining three athletes who were suspended during the Games for alleged doping offences, it was reported Ujah had returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) from a test carried out in Tokyo.

The prohibited substances were detected as ostarine and S-23, both classified by World Anti-Doping Organisation (Wada) as a selective androgen receptor modulator with effects similar to anabolic steroids.

On the allegations, Ujah said: "To be absolutely clear, I am not a cheat. I have never and would never knowingly take a banned substance."

His relay teammates Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake will likely lose their silver medals if the positive test is confirmed.

That would also mean Canada would be upgraded from their bronze, while China, who finished fourth, will win their first men's 4x100m relay bronze.

However, Ujah has vowed to fight the charge, saying: "I am completely shocked and devastated by this news. I love my sport and I know my responsibilities both as an athlete and as a teammate.

"I am respecting the formal processes and will not be making any further comment until it is appropriate to do so."

Ujah can request analysis of his B sample, but should that corroborate the AAF, the case will be referred to the anti-doping division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

On the possibility of the British quartet - who clocked 37.51 seconds - being stripped of their silver medals, Hugh Robertson, the chairman of the British Olympic Association, told The Times of London it would be "tragic".

"It's absolutely tragic for the other members of the relay team," he said. "It is very disappointing news but he remains innocent until proven guilty and we will absolutely respect the process."

Robertson also told the BBC: "You feel desperately sorry for them (Ujah's teammates). I am feeling enormously disappointed. That's inevitable when you come off a great high like we've had with the Olympics.

"The team performed wonderfully. This of course is one instance but it is a serious issue. We have to be honest about it, respect the outcome and if something has gone wrong, we have to do everything possible to put it right."

While Mitchell-Blake, Hughes and Kilty have remained active on social media, the trio have yet to comment on Ujah's positive test.

REUTERS