World shot put champion C J Hunter has officially retired from the sport after being suspended for two years for a positive doping test for the banned steroid nandrolone.

The US athletics governing body USA Track and Field (USATF) said it suspended Hunter, the husband of Olympic star Marion Jones, after he chose not to contest doping charges brought against him by the International Athletic Federation (IAAF) and USATF.

The IAAF announced at the Sydney Olympics that Hunter (32), had tested positive for nandrolone at the Bislett Games in Oslo last July.

"Although he accepts the ban, Mr Hunter `vehemently denies knowingly taking any banned substance' and maintains that he is `the victim of an otherwise legal, contaminated supplement'," the USATF said.