British wrestler Dykun fails doping test

[May 03, 2012]  LONDON (AP) -- One of Britain's top wrestlers is likely to miss the London Olympics after being suspended for failing a doping test.

Myroslav Dykun, who won 145-pound Greco-Roman gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, tested positive for amphetamines and is awaiting the result of a "B" sample.

"He is immediately suspended from competition and funding," British Wrestling chief executive Colin Nicholson said Thursday.

The 29-year-old Dykun was born in Ukraine and moved to Britain in 2003 as part of the country's initiative to get athletes from Eastern Europe to help homegrown wrestlers develop into medal prospects.

British Wrestling initially said the imports would not be eligible to compete at the Olympics, but that position has changed, angering British-born wrestlers.

Five of the seven places on British Wrestling's elite squad were recently awarded to foreign-born athletes.

Dykun switched to Greco-Roman wrestling from freestyle, in which he won two British titles. He placed ninth in this year's European Championship and 28th in the 2011 worlds, making him unlikely to medal at the Olympics.

"Under no circumstances do we condone drug-taking in any form -- whether it be recreational or performance-enhancing," Nicholson said. "This is evidence that we are determined to work in partnership to root out anyone misusing substances."

Britain hasn't won an Olympic medal in wrestling since 1984. Its squad for the London Games will be named on May 10.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.