Top Australian cyclist banned for doping

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

SYDNEY (AFP) — Top Australian cyclist Nathan O'Neill has been banned from competition for 15 months for a doping violation, officials said Tuesday.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist and eight times Australian time trial champion tested positive for the stimulant Phentermine after the Tour of Elk Grove' in the United States in August last year.

The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) announced the ban after a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), noting that it was backdated, meaning O'Neill can race again from November 12.

Under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, the use of Phentermine can lead to a maximum two year ban.

"In making the ruling, the CAS determined that Mr O'Neill had been able to demonstrate a...