From AP:
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: The International Swimming Federation on Friday banned Brazilian star Rebeca Gusmao for life for failing two drug tests.
Lawyers for Gusmao say she’ll appeal the decision.
In July, Gusmao received a second two-year doping suspension after a positive test for testosterone at a 2006 competition — a decision delayed by problems with the tests.
Gusmao also tested positive for the substance before the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. She won two gold medals at the Pan American Games and was later stripped of the medals.
In November 2, 2007, the veritable Gusmao was provisionally suspended by FINA alongside Italy’s Laure La Piana for doping infringement. La Piana, is an open water swimmer who received a six-month suspension from Italy’s federation after testing positive for stimulants.
Gusmao had denied the allegations saying she underwent four tests in July that all yielded negative results. She added that the elevated testosterone levels must be due to her ovarian disorder in combination with the medication she took. It was reported that Gusmao had weighed 66kgs at the 2003 Pan American Games then a dramatic increase to up 82kgs at the 2007 Pan Am Games.
Gusmao won the gold in 50-meter freestyle in a Pan Ams record of 25.05. In 1999 and 2003, Gusmao had only managed to win bronze medals.
Gusmao was not the only Brazilian swimmer who failed Olympics because of doping violation. In January this year, Rogerio Karfunkelstein had tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.
From Timed Finals posted on January 30 :
Fresh on the heels of Rebecca Gusmao’s positive steroid test, the Brazilian Swimming Federation (CBDA) has just announced that another swimmer, Rogério Karfunkelstein, has tested positive for steroids.
According to a press release on the CBDA’s website (warning, press release is in Portuguese), a December 14 sample taken from Karfunkelstein tested positive for the steroid stanozol. According to the release, Karfunkelstein is banned for two years beginning December 14. The release goes on to say the swimmer claims to have taken the steroid while trying to rehab an injured knee.
Karfunkelstein, ranked 90th in the world last year in the LCM 50 breastroke, puts Brazil at risk of having its Swimming Federation suspended by FINA for 2 years. FINA rules state that if FINA gets positive results on four athletes within a period of 12 months, the Federation will be banned for 24 months.
In 2006, Renata Burgos also tested positive for stanozolol during the Brazilian championships.
Stanozolol is commonly sold under the brand name Winstrol, which comes in both oral and intramuscular versions Winstrol Depot. It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Adminsitration/// for human use to treat several medical conditions, which include anemia and hereditary angioedema. In animals, stanozolol is used to improve appetite and promote muscle growth. Stanozolol is also known to improve red blood cell production and increases bone density in livestock.
Athletes who had been tested for stanozolol include Ukrainian heptathlete Lyudmila Blonska, who was also banned from her sport for life because she was found guilty of doping violations, testing positive for stanozolol twice, the first offense was in June 2003 and the second offense occurred at the recently concluded Beijing Olympics.
Other notable athletes who tested positive for this banned compound were sprinter Ben Johnson, slugger Rafael Palmeiro, and mixed martial arts heavyweight Tim Sylvia. Major League superstar Barry Bonds had been also accused of using stanozolol.
Bobsledder Martin Galliker tested positive for steroid
Swiss bobsledder Martin Galliker has tested positive for doping with testosterone and has immediately resigned from his team. The announcement was made by his national team federation Wednesday.
The Belarusian Athletics Federation said Tuesday they penalized shot putter Yulia Leantsyuk and steeplechaser Irina Bakhanouskaya for two years after testing positive for