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WORLD SPORT

Lund is handed one-year doping ban

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Lund's ban means he will be unable to compete in the Torino Winter Olympics

TURIN, Italy -- American skeleton gold medal hope Zach Lund, who blamed a positive drugs test on a hair growth stimulant, has been kicked out of the Winter Olympics and given a one-year ban for doping.

Lund was banned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, hours before the opening ceremony in Torino.

The suspension was imposed as CAS partially upheld an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

WADA had called on the court to ban Lund for two years following his positive test for the banned steroid-masking agent finasteride at a World Cup event held in November 2005.

"I had the backing of my federation and I honestly believed I would get through this. This is very upsetting and disappointing," said Lund.

"Family, friends... that's the hardest part," he said, his voice breaking with emotion. "I just want them to know I appreciate what they have done for me."

"This is a bump in the road. I definitely will be back next year," he sobbed. "I will use this to build on to become stronger. I am an Olympian."

The 26-year-old had spent two-and-a-half hours pleading his case on Thursday, saying hair-growth treatment contained the substance, but his dreams of Olympic glory were dashed by a three-man panel.

Lund had originally been cleared to compete by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after accepting a public warning from them for the failed drugs test.

However, after studying the full case file the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed to CAS against USADA's leniency.

CAS said it was entirely satisfied Lund was not a cheat but that he had made a mistake and failed to check the list of prohibited substances in 2005.

"The Panel concluded that Mr Lund bears no significant fault or negligence and decided to reduce the period of ineligibility requested by WADA from two years to one year," a statement said.

Finasteride has been included on the WADA Prohibited List since January 1 2005 as a masking agent. Lund's ban will end on November. 9 2006.

Lund said he threw away the product when he found out it was a banned substance. "I would like to keep my hair. I am not comfortable with it (losing it) I would have loved to continue to take the product," he said.

"But with my career as an athlete I can't.

"Right now my worries are that I have to give back my credentials and check out of the Olympic doors tonight. I plan to stay for a few days to make my story known, then I'll go home.

"The last thing I want from this is to be considered a cheater. It hurts because my reputation is on the line. I'm not a cheater. For five years I checked every year and it was legal and now this year it's not okay."

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