Blake has a right to appeal ban - JADCO chairman

National quarter-miler Dominique Blake has been suspended from athletics for six years by the Jamaica Anti-doping Disciplinary Panel.

After 12 days of deliberating on evidence given by Dominique Blake, her mother Valrie Williams, her mentor, Chris Rosengrant via Skype and Drs. Peter Rudduck And Jaqueline Campbell, chairman of the disciplinary panel Kent Pantry delivered a six-year ban.

Pantry said Ms. Blake did not satisfy the panel comfortably that the substance entered her body without the intent to enhance sporting performance and they decided on a sanction of six years commencing  June 13, 2013.

Blake, who previously received a nine-month suspension from USADA in 2006 for ephedrine, could have received as much of a life ban after testing positive for methylhexanamine at Jamaica's Olympic Trials in June 2012. Nonetheless her lead attorney Patrick Foster was disappointed by the length of her ban.      

 “The panel will give its reason in writing at a later date but it’s clear to me that they didn’t take into account the crucial issues that they should have. I think we had sufficient evidence to at least justify a penalty far less than six years,” Patrick Foster.        

The panel, which also comprise attorney-at-law, Lennox Gayle; physician, Dr. Japhet Ford; and Olympic Medallist, Juliet Cuthbert, is expected to submit their reasons for the verdict in writing inside 21 days.

Chairman of Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission, JADCO, and Dr. Herbert Elliott welcomed the decision.

“One must remember that this is her second offence. The panel has now ruled. All we have to do is accept the decision of the panel. She has the right of course to go to an appeals panel; it will be our local appeal panel, because she is not yet at that level internationally. And then finally if she doesn’t agree with our appeal panel, she can take it to the court of arbitration,”  Dr. Elliott.

Blake, who placed 6th in the 400m and traveled to the London Olympics, did not compete.