The Spanish cyclist Maria Isabel Moreno, more widely known as Maribel Moreno, has become the first athlete to fail a drugs test at the Beijing Olympics.
Several others, most notably a bunch of high profile Russians, failed tests before the games started and were duly suspended.
Moreno was entered for the women’s road race and individual time trial, but tested positive for the endurance-boosting drug EPO. She could now face a two-year ban and, under a new International Olympic Committee rule, could also be banned from the 2012 London Olympics.
Early reports in Spain said the cyclist had pulled out after suffering an ‘anxiety attack’. The IOC has said it is expecting up to 40 positive drug tests during the Games.