Sally 100m race winner tests positive

Alex Brown and Georgina Robinson

October 11, 2010 - 3:12PM

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EXCLUSIVE

Osayemi Oludamola of Nigeria celebrates after the women's 100m final. Photo: AFP

The athlete who claimed gold in the women's 100m event after Australian sprinter Sally Pearson was disqualified has tested positive to a banned substance.
A senior Commonwealth Games anti-doping official confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald that Osayemi Oludamola's A sample had tested positive to a banned stimulant.
Asked if that would result in the automatic stripping of her gold medal, the official said: "There are a few bridges to cross yet, including the testing of her B sample. Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet."

The full circle . . . the joy and misery of Sally Pearson on Thursday night.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell is due to hold a press conference at 10.30am Delhi time (4pm Sydney) at which he is expected to confirm Oludamola's positive test.
Oludamola told the Herald on Friday she had no doubt Pearson would be stripped of her gold medal for false starting during the women's 100 metres final.
"Actually it's not that difficult for me because I was watching the race yesterday and I saw there were two false starts and I was thinking, 'OK, something is going to be done with this,'" she said.

Silver medallist Natasha Mayers of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (left to right), gold medallist Osayemi Oludamola of Nigeria and bronze medallist Katherine Endacott of England pose with their medals for the women's 100 metres event. Photo: Reuters

"After the race I watched it and I thought 'Oh, there's something wrong with it."
The 24-year-old finished second behind Pearson in a time of 11.32 seconds.
Pearson and Osayomi experienced contrasting fortunes upon their return to the track on Sunday night. The Australian breezed through her heat in the 100 metres hurdles, qualifying fastest for tonight's final. Osayomi, meanwhile, finished fourth in the semi-final of the 200 metres and failed to reach the medal round.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria is blaming the positive test result on prescription medication given to Oludamola for a toothache.
"She took medication for her toothache and we strongly suspect that it was that, which led to her failed drug test," AFN President Solomon Ogba told Nigerian news site Vanguard.
Ogba told Vanguard that Nigeria would mount a strong case against stripping Oludamola of the gold medal.