German distance runner Benfares fails doping test

DPA
·1 min read
Germany's distance runner Sara Benfares during the Athletics European Championships 5000m Women competition. Sara Benfares, who is set to compete at the Paris Olympics in summer, has been provisionally suspended after a positive doping test. Angelika Warmuth/dpa
Germany's distance runner Sara Benfares during the Athletics European Championships 5000m Women competition. Sara Benfares, who is set to compete at the Paris Olympics in summer, has been provisionally suspended after a positive doping test. Angelika Warmuth/dpa

German distance runner Sara Benfares, who is set to compete at the Paris Olympics in summer, has been provisionally suspended after a positive doping test.

Confirming reports from broadcasters Saarländischer Rundfunk and the daily Saarbrücker Zeitung (SZ), the German Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) said on Tuesday that Benfares tested positive for the blood booster EPO and the steroid testosterone.

The SZ said that a hearing was conducted on Monday. The German athletics body DLV said it was aware of the case.

Benfares, 22, faces a ban if the examination of the b-sample confirms the original finding and she is found guilty of a doping rules violation.

The NADA and Benfares' lawyer, Rainer Cherkeh, told the SZ they would not comment further on the issue.

Benfares is set to compete over 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the Paris Games which open on July 26, the SZ said.

She was 12th over 5,000m at the 2022 European championships and the same year a runner-up over the distance at the national championships. Also in 2022, she won the German 10km road race title.