Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens are not the only ones creating headlines these days; Jessica Hardy of the US swimming team is now having her share of steroid scandal. United States Anti-Doping Agency has tested Jessica Hardy and was found positive for clenbuterol, a kind of anabolic steroid in July 4 of last year. The United States Anti-Doping Agency did not make the statement until Monday.

The American swimmer was not able to join the 2008 Olympics because of the issue. Jessica Hardy was banned for a year but she will be allowed to compete again in 12 weeks. In the statement made by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, no details were disclosed whether her coach was sanctioned.

From Khaleej Times Online:

An American athlete who withdrew from the 2008 US Olympic swimming trials after a positive drug test has been handed a one-year ban from competition.

US swimmer Jessica Hardy tested postive on July 4 for anabolic agent clenbuterol, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced Monday.

USADA didn’t announce the suspension until Monday and has made Hardy’s ban retroactive, meaning she will be eligible to compete again in about 12 weeks.

USADA did not say whether Hardy’s coach was sanctioned.

In April, five Chinese swimmers were slapped with two-year suspensions for testing positive for the same steroid.

Anabolic steroids are popular in the worlds of sports and bodybuilding because of its ability to increase body mass, add extra strength and prolong endurance. Anabolic steroids are considered as a doping drug which is banned and prohibited by sporting bodies such as the Olympics and Major League Baseball.

Clenbuterol, similar to other anabolic steroids available in the market, can be bought from pharmacies only with the presence of a physician’s prescription or written consent. Illegal possession, use and trade of anabolic steroid are punishable by the law.

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Sometimes, it’s tough to be Lance Armstrong.

The seven-time Tour de France champion has been on the radar of international drug testers since he announced his comeback in September.

The 37-year-old rider says he’s been drug tested 11 times in the past 18 weeks and two days in the past four days. His most recent test was conducted by officials from the International Cycling Union on Thursday at his Texas home according to AFP.

“UCI control. They flew a guy from Germany for it. That makes a ton of sense,” Armstrong wrote on Twitter, a social networking website.
Twitter allows users to send short messages which are then posted on subscribers’ cell phones and the Internet.

Armstrong even let his Twitter readers know that he was on his way to meet with the drug testers.

“I am back from the shop after riding four hours. I hear the drug testers are waiting at the house. #11,” he wrote.

Armstrong, who plans to resume his cycling career next year, was placed under a six-month probation period by the United States Anti-doping Agency at the beginning of August.

Armstrong needs to pass USADA’s out-of-competition testing pool before his cycling comeback can become official.

News of his return has drawn mixed reviews in cycling circles.

Armstrong’s career has been dogged by doping accusations, prompting him to file several lawsuits in the past years against his detractors to refute the allegations. Most explosive of the accusations was the report published in a French sports newspaper L’Equipe in 2005 which claimed that the six urine samples obtained from Armstrong from his 1999 Tour victory tested positive for the blood booster EPO.

Last month, Armstrong said that should he decide to join the Tour next year he said he fears for his personal safety due to a lot of resentment towards him France caused by negative publicity.

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