Bolt, Fraser-Pryce to lead Jamaican team for worlds

Wednesday, 31 July 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Olympic champions Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce headline a Jamaican world athletics championships squad that will come under intense scrutiny in Moscow following several positive doping tests by some of the country’s athletes. Five athletes, including Olympic gold medallists Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, tested positive for banned substances at the Caribbean island’s national championships in June and face disciplinary hearings. All five have denied knowingly taking banned substances.

Neither Powell nor Simpson, both of whom tested positive for the stimulant oxilophrine, were included in the squad named by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) on Monday for the 10-18 August championships in the Russian capital. Nine-time world championship medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown, who held a wild card entry to Moscow by virtue of winning the 200 meters in Daegu, South Korea in 2011, also missed out. Campbell-Brown is provisionally suspended after failing a test for using a banned diuretic at the Jamaica International Invitational World Challenge meet in May. Powell had finished seventh in the 100 metres at the national championships but had been expected to be included in the 4x100 relay team having run 9.88 seconds at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting on 4 July. Jamaican officials did not indicate what event the athletes were likely to run in Moscow but Nesta Carter is expected to join Bolt, Nickel Ashmeade and Kemar Bailey-Cole in the 100m in the absence of injured world champion Yohan Blake. The 22-member male squad also includes Olympic 200 metre bronze medallist Warren Weir. Former Commonwealth Games champion Sherri-Ann Brooks, who was fourth at the Jamaican trials in June, is expected to take the place of Simpson in the women’s 100 metre. Wild card holder and 2009 world champion Fraser-Pryce, Kerron Stewart and Schillonie Calvert will be the other entrants in the blue riband event. London Olympics bronze medallist Hansle Parchment, who injured his ankle at the Jamaica trials, takes his place in the 110 hurdles along with Andrew Riley and Dwight Thomas.