Jessica Hardy reported to have failed drug test

Jessica Hardy reported to have failed drug test

JESSICA Hardy, one of the few swimmers capable of derailing Leisel Jones's push for a breaststroke double in Beijing, is reported to have tested positive for a banned substance.

Swimming World magazine website first reported the positive doping test, saying that that an unidentified coach not on the Olympic staff had confirmed the positive test.

A person familiar with the results then told The Associated Press, on grounds of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, that Hardy's A sample from the recent US Olympic trials had tested positive.

The website nbcolympics.com subsequently reported that Hardy's B sample had also tested positive.
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Typically, a first-time doping offence results in a two-year competitive ban.

Both organisations cited unnamed athletes as saying Hardy was no longer at the US swim team's training camp after the results, which NBC said came from a test taken at the US Olympic trials that concluded earlier this month.

Hardy, who has qualified to swim the in the 100m breaststroke, the 50m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relay in Beijing, can pursue appeals with the American Arbitration Association and the Court of Arbitration for Sport if the positive results are confirmed.

Any ruling by CAS is final and binding.

Hardy's agent, Evan Morgenstein, later told the Associated Press that Hardy had told him during a brief phone conversation: "I never did anything wrong. I never cheated."

Morgenstein said that he had heard conflicting reports about the results of Hardy's tests, though he didn't have any details.

"I'm very, very concerned about the confusion of her test coming up positive-negative-positive," Morgenstein said.

"She's the one person I would never believe would do anything, anything to cheat. Ever."

Hardy, 21, will not be replaced on the US team if she appeals and loses, because the deadline to do so was July 21.

Such a move will see Dara Torres, 41, in the 50m freestyle, and Megan Jendrick, in the 100m breaststroke, as the single American entrants in those events.

Mark Schubert, head coach and general manager of the US team, along with Hardy's agent and personal coach at the University of Southern California, were not immediately available for comment.

Hardy burst onto the international scene at the 2005 world championships in Montreal, where she broke the world record in the 100m breaststroke.

She held the record until Jones broke it in 2006.