US sprinter Mike Rodgers' World Championships hopes were hanging in the balance Sunday after the 100-meter runner tested positive for a banned stimulant.
Rodgers, who was named in the US team in the 100-meter and 4x100 relay, blamed the result on an energy drink and confirmed that he was waiting to learn his punishment, in messages posted Saturday on his Twitter page.
"Tested positive for stimulant in an energy drink," he tweeted. "I'm just trying to get a hearing before worlds so I can know my fate."
Rodgers' agent, Tony Campbell, said that the sprinter took the test last month while at a meeting at the US relay training camp in Lignano, Italy. He added that Rodgers was not yet suspended by USA Track and Field.
The 26 year old could face a warning or be suspended for several months, which would end his involvement in the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, which start Aug. 27.
"Mike made a mistake," Campbell told Reuters. "He went to a club with some friends in Italy, and he thought he was drinking a Red Bull, but he got one of those energy drinks that had a stimulant in it."
