Amantle Montsho, the 2011 World women’s 400m champion of Botswana, tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine at the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. She was provisionally suspended after finishing fourth in the 400m last Tuesday night (29), and her B sample was slated to be tested in London Monday (4).
A spokesman for the Botswana team subsequently said there was no definite conclusion about the situation and hoped that in a few days the origin of the substance and any decision going forward would be made clear. “It’s not that she’s been banned, just that she’s suspended prior to the investigation,” the official noted.
The athlete attended the provisional hearing of the Commonwealth Games Federation court, which ruled that the provisional suspension of the athlete would continue.
The Federation also said in a statement that, “Upon receipt of the analysis of the athlete’s B sample, the court will reconvene to consider the matter further.”
Methylhexaneamine can be found in some dietary supplements and is commonly used as a nasal decongestant. It is also known for giving the body an energy boost by increasing its metabolic rate.
The high-profile 2010 Commonwealth 400m champion, who was expected to make the podium at the 2014 edition of the Games, lost her title on 29 July to Jamaica’s Stephanie McPherson and, in addition, finished the race behind two other Jamaicans in a medal sweep.
Since taking the World title in 2011, Montsho has not won gold at a global event. At the London 2012 Olympics, she finished fourth but later became the favorite for the 2013 World title in Moscow. However, she was beaten to the gold by four thousandths of a second by Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu.
Montsho is the second Commonwealth Games athlete to fail a doping test in Glasgow after Nigeria’s 16-year-old weightlifter Chika Amalaha was stripped of her gold medal after a doping hearing.
The Nigerian tested positive for diuretics and masking agents after winning the 53-kg division, becoming the youngest female to win a weightlifting title at a Commonwealth Games.
Two positive tests were returned by Welsh pair Gareth Warburton and Rhys Williams before the Games began.