Team GB star CJ Ujah has denied claims that he has knowingly taken a banned substance, saying “I am not a cheat”.
The 27-year-old ran the first leg in Great britain’s 4x100m relay team as they narrowly missed out on gold in Tokyo.
Ujah has been provisionally suspended after a test showed the presence of two prohibited substances.
The sprinter was informed about the “adverse analytical finding” on Thursday, showing the presence/use of ostarine and S-23, which both help with building muscle.
"To be absolutely clear, I am not a cheat," said Ujah in a statement to the PA news agency on Saturday.
"I have never and would never knowingly take a banned substance."
The remainder of the British quartet, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, now face a nervous wait to see if their Olympic medals will be stripped from them.
Kilty’s brother Kevin told MirrorSport that he would be “devastated” if his silver medal is taken away from him after years of hard work.
“Sprinting is like football, you only have a certain amount of time until you’re past your prime,” Kevin explained.
“He worked so hard for this, ever since he was a lad. We didn’t have the easiest of childhoods – he could have gone down one of two paths, and he chose the right path.
"We grew up on a tough estate, but he got himself out and did well for himself – especially given what he was exposed to. He’ll be devastated.”
Ujah said he would never breach his responsibilities as both an athlete and a teammate, adding: "It's taken me a few days to process the information I received on Thursday, shortly before it was made public.
"I am completely shocked and devastated by this news.
"I love my sport and I know my responsibilities both as an athlete and as a team-mate.
"I am respecting the formal processes and will not be making any further comment until it is appropriate to do so."
GB lost out by a hundredth of a second to the Italian team, with 100m sprint king Lamont Marcell Jacobs taking the Azzurri home.
And Jacobs has admitted that news of Ujah’s suspension has left him smiling after a feeling that he had been accused of similar by the British press.
“The situation hasn’t touched me so much, I know the sacrifices and blows I went through to get here,” Jacobs told Tuttosport.
“Instead, I want to enjoy it 100%. Having seen the investigation into Ujah I would say that perhaps it’s better [for the British] to look closer to home before attacking others. It made me smile.”
Ujah can now request analysis of his B sample, should that also confirm the adverse finding, the case will be referred to the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
