Edwards tops drug test list

Jonathan Edwards and Kelly Holmes, Britain's most successful athletes of 1995, were also the most tested for drugs, according to figures released yesterday.

They were tested four times at meetings and twice out-of-competition by the International Amateur Athletic Federation. All were negative, along with 64 other British athletes.

Linford Christie and Tony Jarrett also had six tests, with five for Colin Jackson and four for Mick Hill, Dalton Grant, Steve Smith and Paula Radcliffe. The figures were issued by the British Athletic Federation.

Edwards and Holmes were also among 159 athletes tested by the BAF's out- of-competition programme for the first quarter of this year. All were negative. Peter Radford, executive chairman of the BAF, said: "These figures show we are right to be proud of our testing programmes.

"They are superior to those in any other British sport and probably to any other athletics nation. Our athletes clearly wish us to be vigilant and these results indicate that we are being so."

n Bulgaria's world indoor 400 metres bronze medallist Daniela Georgieva has been banned for three months after testing positive for the steroid methanolon.