Athletics: Marion Jones sees hope in nandrolone cases

By MARK BRADLEY Herald correspondent

LONDON - Marion Jones has offered encouragement to athletes protesting their innocence over positive nandrolone tests by suggesting they "will be proved innocent soon".

Britain's Linford Christie, the European 200 metres champion, Dougie Walker and the 400m runner Mark Richardson have all tested positive for the substance.

Jones's husband, the world record-holding shot-putter C J Hunter sparked the scandal of the Sydney Olympics when it was revealed he had also tested positive and was banned from competition.

All four insist they are not guilty, and Jones believes breakthroughs have been made in the quest for proof that legal food supplements and explosive exercise can produce erroneous results.

She said: "CJ has been talking to the lawyers to gain information about the allegations and we are excited about the future.

"There will soon be important information out in the forefront to prove that all these positive tests are not realistic or true."

Diane Modahl, who had a positive drugs test result overturned, is to continue her fight against the British Athletics Federation for compensation to cover the legal costs involved in her campaign to establish her innoncence.

Modahl was banned in line with BAF regulations after the apparent positive test result was reported to them.

The result was eventually overturned but the now-defunct BAF, which has since been replaced by UK Athletics, fought Modahl's compensation claim in the High Court, which found for the BAF.

Modahl has now decided to take her case to the Court of Appeal.