Olympics: German wrestler stripped of gold medal

LAUSANNE - The International Olympic Committee has ordered wrestler Alexander Leipold to return his gold medal after the German tested positive for banned anabolic steroids.

In a statement Monday the IOC said Leipold had been retrospectively disqualified from the Sydney Games after norandrosterone and norethiocholanolone were found in two samples of his urine.

"The concentration reported is more than 10 times higher than the reporting threshold established by the IOC," the statement said.

Leipold won the 76 kg class in the freestyle wrestling. The 22-year-old salesman is the first German Olympic champion to be stripped of his title for doping.

Brandon Slay of the United States, who took silver, will now be awarded the gold medal. Plans to hold a new medal ceremony will be discussed at a later date.

Leipold celebrated his victory in Sydney by doing a cart-wheel and a back flip. Slay, visibly upset by his defeat, refused to shake either Leipold's or the referee's hand.

Slay told Reuters on Monday: "It's definitely a real win. I don't feel this situation has tainted my win or my gold medal.

"This has worked out even better than if I had won the gold medal in Sydney.

"Not many athletes have the opportunity to experience the agony of defeat, of not achieving a lifetime goal and learning the lessons from that, then within a three-week period experiencing the victory of that goal."

Mongolian Oyunbileg Purevbaatar, who finished fifth in the men's 58kg category, has also been found guilty of using prohibited substances, the IOC said.

The 27-year-old, who was found to have traces of the masking agent furosemide in his urine samples, was also disqualified from the Games and ordered to return his Olympic diploma.

- REUTERS

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