Teenager fails drug test again

Athletics

Lisa de Villiers, the 14-year-old South African banned for four years earlier this year for taking an anabolic steroid, has tested positive again for the same substance.

Banele Sindani, the South Africa secretary general, yesterday confirmed that de Villiers, the youngest athlete to fail a drugs test, showed nandrolone again in her test on 24 September.

Sindani said that ASA "would like to believe" the presence of nandrolone was related to the test done in April, but said: "We will have to investigate the reasons for the positive test afresh."

De Villiers was banned after testing positive for nandrolone and the stimulant fencamfamine at the South African Junior Championships in April. She had competed in the Under-17 100 metres, 200m and long jump.

According to International Amateur Athletic Federation rules, athletes must be available for three out-of-competition tests during the banned period. The September test was the first of three for de Villiers.

Diane Modahl, who gave birth to a girl, Imani, on Sunday night, will, as expected, be required to submit her doping case to IAAF arbitration, whose doping commission, meeting in Paris this week, have endorsed the decision, taken in August by the full Council, to refer her case.

There had been rumours that the death of leading commission member Prof Manfred Donike might alter federation policy on the Modahl case.

Modahl's husband, Vicente, and a medical expert, Professor Simon Gaskill, will be in Paris today hoping to persuade IAAF officials to inspect scientific evidence which led to a British Athletic Federation panel upholding Modahl's appeal against a four-year ban in July.