BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - Former Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown has disclosed that she has been cleared to race again by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the Jamaican tested positive for a banned diuretic last May.
Last year Campbell-Brown was banned by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) when she failed a test at the Jamaica Invitation meeting.
According to a BBC report, “in October, a Jamaican disciplinary committee review deemed a reprimand was sufficient punishment because the banned substance was not used for performance enhancement.
“However, Campbell-Brown, who has won seven Olympic medals, had to wait for the IAAF's verdict before she could compete again. It appears the body that governs world athletics decided to hand the case to CAS.”
The 31-year-old declared in a statement on Monday (Feb. 24) that CAS has given her the green light to compete “confirming” her innocence.
"The final court available to us as athletes have spoken and humbly I say they have confirmed my innocence."
She added that the past few months have brought "much pain and suffering".
Campbell-Brown informed that the past year has been really difficult for her, however she will “press on”
"Yes, I lost out on the opportunity to compete for most of 2013 and the chance to defend my World 200m title. However, I press on. Dr Martin Luther King Jr spoke of the redemptive quality of unearned suffering and I must say I am redeemed."
She also thanked the IAAF for "expeditiously handing my case to CAS".
Last year, Jamaicans Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson also tested positive for banned substances and missed the World Championships in Moscow.
Campbell-Brown has won 16 Olympic and World Championship medals during her career, including consecutive Olympic gold medals over the 200 metres in 2004 and 2008, making her only the second woman in history to achieve that feat.
Campbell-Brown faced a two-year ban from athletics if she was found guilty.
