30 Apr 2009

Athletics expects Willis silver confirmation next week

1:56 pm on 30 April 2009

It looks as if it'll be a week before confirmation of the New Zealand athlete Nick Willis's retrospective 1500 metres silver medal from the Beijing Olympics, after the winner tested positive for a new banned drug.

Willis finished third but is in line to move from bronze to silver after .the gold medallist Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain tested positive to the new blood-boosting drug CERA in retrospective testing of samples taken in August,.

Athletics New Zealand's sports manager Brett Addison says they haven't spoken with Willis since the news but he's not sure the runner will be happy with his upgrade.

Addison says while Willis will be happy a cheat's been caught he'd rather win on the track than in a court room afterwards.