MONACO (AP) — European Championship steeplechase silver medalist Ahmed Abdelwahed has been suspended after testing positive for meldonium, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Monday.
The endurance-boosting heart medication has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2016. Athletes testing positive for it early that year included tennis star Maria Sharapova, who served a 15-month ban.
Abdelwahed’s case was announced three weeks after he finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the European track championships in Munich, Germany.
The AIU did not say when the 26-year-old Italian runner tested positive. He has been provisionally suspended while a disciplinary case gets prepared.
Abdelwahed placed 14th in the Olympic steeplechase last year in Tokyo.
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