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Two Jamaican hurdlers implicated in steroid ring
By Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim, SI.com
Two members of the 2008 Jamaican Olympic track team received shipments of performance-enhancing drugs through an Internet distribution network, according to documents obtained by SI.
The documents state that between June 2006 and February 2007, two shipments of Somatropin (Human Growth Hormone, HGH) and one shipment of Triest (Estrogen) were sent to Delloreen London, at a Texas address that traces to the athlete Delloreen Ennis-London; the birth date on the document matches the athlete's as well, though the document lists the person's gender as male. Ennis-London, 33, is a Jamaican hurdler who won the silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2005 World Championships. In Beijing, she finished fifth in the event, but came within .01 of taking bronze. Though the information only pertains to receipt and not actual use of performance-enhancers, both drugs are banned for Olympic athletes.
The documents also indicate that in November 2006, a shipment of Testosterone, Testosterone Aqueous, and Oxandrolone (an oral steroid) were sent to Adrian Findlay, an alternate on the Jamaican Olympic team in the 400-meter hurdles. The drugs were sent to a North Carolina address that traces to Findlay; the birth date on the document matches the athlete's as well. Findlay, 25, was also a member of the Jamaican team that placed second in the 4x400 meter relays at the 2008 World Indoor Championships. Findlay attended St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C.
Multiple attempts to reach Ennis-London through a variety of contacts, family members and organizations was unsuccessful. According to Ennis-London's husband, Lincoln London, his wife is racing in Switzerland and is unreachable until mid-September.
Reached Tuesday in North Carolina, Findlay forcefully denied the allegations. "I've been running stable all my life," he said. "Trust me I don't use steroids. I guarantee you it wasn't mine and I didn't order it. I have a theory how this was sent."
The prescriptions written in the name of Delloreen London were reportedly obtained through the Anti-Aging Group, a network of clinics that advertise HGH and testosterone treatments on its Web site. According to the document reviewed by SI.com, the prescribing physician was Victor Shabanah. On his Web site, Shabanah advertises himself as a "hormone therapist."
Reached through the Anti-Aging Group in Miami, Dr. Shabanah asserted, "Make an appointment if you want to see me," before abruptly ending the call.
Findlay's prescription was reportedly obtained through the South Beach Rejuvenation clinic, a Florida facility through which Major League baseball outfielder Jay Gibbons, who was suspended by Major League baseball last December for violating the league's drug policy, received banned performance-enhancing drugs. According to the document, the prescribing physician was Daniel J. Hauser of Hollywood, Fla. Hauser did not return calls seeking his comment left at a home number and through South Beach Rejuvenation.
Two members of the 2008 Jamaican Olympic track team received shipments of performance-enhancing drugs through an Internet distribution network, according to documents obtained by SI.
The documents state that between June 2006 and February 2007, two shipments of Somatropin (Human Growth Hormone, HGH) and one shipment of Triest (Estrogen) were sent to Delloreen London, at a Texas address that traces to the athlete Delloreen Ennis-London; the birth date on the document matches the athlete's as well, though the document lists the person's gender as male. Ennis-London, 33, is a Jamaican hurdler who won the silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2005 World Championships. In Beijing, she finished fifth in the event, but came within .01 of taking bronze. Though the information only pertains to receipt and not actual use of performance-enhancers, both drugs are banned for Olympic athletes.
The documents also indicate that in November 2006, a shipment of Testosterone, Testosterone Aqueous, and Oxandrolone (an oral steroid) were sent to Adrian Findlay, an alternate on the Jamaican Olympic team in the 400-meter hurdles. The drugs were sent to a North Carolina address that traces to Findlay; the birth date on the document matches the athlete's as well. Findlay, 25, was also a member of the Jamaican team that placed second in the 4x400 meter relays at the 2008 World Indoor Championships. Findlay attended St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C.
Multiple attempts to reach Ennis-London through a variety of contacts, family members and organizations was unsuccessful. According to Ennis-London's husband, Lincoln London, his wife is racing in Switzerland and is unreachable until mid-September.
Reached Tuesday in North Carolina, Findlay forcefully denied the allegations. "I've been running stable all my life," he said. "Trust me I don't use steroids. I guarantee you it wasn't mine and I didn't order it. I have a theory how this was sent."
The prescriptions written in the name of Delloreen London were reportedly obtained through the Anti-Aging Group, a network of clinics that advertise HGH and testosterone treatments on its Web site. According to the document reviewed by SI.com, the prescribing physician was Victor Shabanah. On his Web site, Shabanah advertises himself as a "hormone therapist."
Reached through the Anti-Aging Group in Miami, Dr. Shabanah asserted, "Make an appointment if you want to see me," before abruptly ending the call.
Findlay's prescription was reportedly obtained through the South Beach Rejuvenation clinic, a Florida facility through which Major League baseball outfielder Jay Gibbons, who was suspended by Major League baseball last December for violating the league's drug policy, received banned performance-enhancing drugs. According to the document, the prescribing physician was Daniel J. Hauser of Hollywood, Fla. Hauser did not return calls seeking his comment left at a home number and through South Beach Rejuvenation.
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