Barbados' Barry Forde (left) and US's Guideon Massie ride together after the men's sprint semi-final at the XIV Pan American Games in Santo Domingo recently. - Reuters BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC:
TOP BARBADOS cyclist Barry Forde has twice tested positive for the banned substance ephedrine following his medal successes at the World Championship and Pan American Games.
Local officials informed the media in a hastily arranged press conference yesterday of the findings from the two events.
"The news has not yet been released (by the governing bodies) but we decided that we would come to the public immediately and let them know what was happening," said sports medicine official Dr. Adrian Lorde.
Forde, who won bronze in the keirin at the World Championship in Stuttgart and double gold - the match sprint and time trial - at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic has denied knowingly using stimulant.
It is unclear what punitive action will be taken against Forde but it appears likely that he will lose both Pan Am Games gold medals for testing positive for the "soft" drug.
American sprinter Mickey Grimes was stripped of his 100-metre gold medal after he tested positive for ephedrine and was not banned, only warned.
The rider's father and manager, Colin Forde, is backing his son and suggested the ace cyclist may have been undone by medication he had been taking this summer for a viral infection.
"I was disturbed because I was never aware of that substance ever carried by Barry and I wanted to know where it came from," Colin Forde said.
"We are determined to find out where the substance has come from we think we have our hands on it, we are going to make sure that we find out where it originated from," he added.
Barry Forde, given time-off from training by his German coach, is currently off the island and is expected home this weekend.
Forde became his country's first ever gold medallist in the 52-year history of the Pan American Games when he won in Santo Domingo earlier this month and is also the first rider to win the keirin and match sprint double at the Games.
