Sport
Jamaica: Asafa Powell handed an 18 month ban
Like former teammate Sherone Simpson, a three-time Olympic medalist who tested positive for the same stimulant at the national trials in June, Powell placed the blame on a newly hired trainer who provided the two athletes with supplements, including one called “Epiphany D1” which lab tests later showed to contain oxilofrone.
“I have never knowingly taken any banned substances, I did all the necessary checks before taking Epiphany D1 and it is my hope that the CAS will prove to be a more open and fair avenue for the review of all the facts in my case,” Powell said in his Thursday statement.
During hearings earlier this year, Powell testified that he received 9 supplements from Canadian physiotherapist Christopher Xuereb, including Epiphany D1. Powell said he started taking the capsules in early June after he and a friend researched the supplement for up to 6 hours online and found no prohibited substances.
But Xuereb has said he never gave Powell or Simpson any performance-enhancing drugs and only purchased major brand vitamins. In July, he asserted to The Associated Press that both athletes were looking for a scapegoat. Xuereb once worked at the Toronto clinic run by Anthony Galea, a sports physician who pleaded guilty to bringing unapproved and mislabeled drugs into the U.S. for house calls.
On the morning of the Jamaican trials, Powell said he took 4 capsules of Epiphany D1 at Xuereb’s suggestion after previously taking 2 each morning. Powell ended up finishing in seventh place and failed to qualify for the world championships.
The sprinter, who turned professional in 2002, raised eyebrows during his testimony in January when he said he wasn’t acquainted with doping control rules. He also testified that he did not tell a doping control officer about all the new supplements he’d been ingesting, only listing three on his declaration form, because he couldn’t remember their names amid the excitement of the Jamaican trials.
On Tuesday, Powell’s former teammate Simpson was also banned until December 20 after testing positive for oxilofrone. Her 18-month ban also began from the sample collection date at Jamaica’s national trials. She will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The 2 athletes, both represented by agent Paul Doyle, delivered nearly identical defenses.
