23 Jul 2012

American stripped of Athens 400 relay gold

4:56 am on 23 July 2012

The American Crystal Cox, who won 4x400m relay gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004, has been stripped of her medal by the International Olympic Committee.

Cox, the Athens relay alternate, was banned for four years in 2010 for using performance-enhancing drugs.

The US Anti-Doping Agency had said Cox had used prohibited anabolic agents between 2001 and 2004.

The IOC's Executive Board, however, did not make any decision on the other relay runners in the team, saying it was up to the International Association of Athletics Federations to decide if all the runners on the US team would be stripped of their medals.

The other members of the US 4x400 team from 2004 are Monique Henderson, Monique Hennagan, Sanya Richards and Deedee Trotter.