American sprinter Kelli White has been stripped of her 100 and 200 metre gold medals from the 2003 world championships after accepting a two-year suspension for taking banned drugs.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency said that White, 27, had admitted taking the drugs and accepted the minimum ban for her first offence involving the use of prohibited substances, including undetectable steroids and the blood-boosting erythropoietin (EPO).
The suspension started from Monday and means she will miss August's Olympic Games. All her results since December 15th, 2000, have been disqualified.
White hopes to have the ban reduced in exchange for help in cleaning up the sport.
"Ms White has made mistakes but I admire her courage in acknowledging these mistakes and accepting responsibility for them. It is not easy to admit you have done wrong and then stand up to do something about it," said Terry Madden, USADA chief executive.
White tested positive for a stimulant, modafinil, at the world championships in Paris in August. The news that she had admitted taking steroids and EPO was unexpected.
The evidence of her rule violations was obtained, in part, by USADA following its receipt of documents obtained in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) investigation and provided to USADA by the Senate Commerce Committee.