trainer identified as former American football player

[Twan]

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica -- Former athlete and (American style) football player Chris Xuereb has been identified as the trainer attached to Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson who was detained for questioning by the Italian Police on Sunday in connection with their positive drugs tests.

Both Powell the former World Record holder and Olympic Games silver medalist Simpson yesterday admitted they had returned adverse analytical finding at the June JAAA National Senior Championships.

Both tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine (methylsynephrine) which might have been in a supplement that was given to the athletes.

They are among five athletes including female discus champion Allison Randal and a junior who failed drugs tests at the Senior Trials.

David Epstein a senior writer with American sports magazine Sports Illustrated identified Xuereb on a twitter post on Sunday and said that Powell’s agent Paul Doyle had confirmed the trainer’s name.

The Jamaica Observer understands that Xuereb was brought in to help Powell in May this year after the sprinter had difficulties overcoming a number of injuries.

Xuereb’s LinkedIn profile page describes him as a ‘Sports Injury specialist and trainer’ who has been in practice since January 2000 and also says he “Coaches Elite and Olympic athletes (past and present) from Canada, USA and the Caribbean. Specializes in Track and Field events and also soccer”.

- Paul Reid

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz2Z7dwFbOR

[Assasin]

So they bought him in to help Asafa get over his problems???

Damn, that is what you call bad help.

[MdmeX]

http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/chris-xuereb/20/3b1/36

[MdmeX]

Is your headline information correct? I do not see him listed as an American football player.

[Twan]

ROME (AP) — Italian police confiscated unidentified substances Monday in a raid on the hotel where Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson were staying, after each tested positive for banned stimulants.

Rooms of the athletes and physical trainer Christopher Xuereb of Canada were searched and drugs and supplements were seized, Udine police captain Antonio Pisapia told The Associated Press.

Pisapia said it was unclear if the substances were illegal, and that they were being analysed.

"We are examining the substances now," Pisapia said. "No arrests have been made and nobody has been placed under investigation."

The raid took place at the Fra i Pini hotel in Lignano Sabbiadoro in northeastern Italy.

Powell, a former world-record holder at 100 metres, and Simpson tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine at the Jamaican championships last month, their agent said Sunday.

The police captain with the specialised NAS unit added that Powell and Simpson were informed of the positive tests Saturday morning.

The raid came in stark contrast to the warm reception that the runners generally receive in Lignano, and the town's mayor, Luca Fanotto, recommended "caution" before drawing conclusions.

"The Jamaican team has chosen the sports facilities of Lignano Sabbiadoro as their training base for years and they never forget to thank the city from podiums all over the world," Fanotto said in a statement.

A local meet is scheduled for Tuesday in Lignano, and the Jamaicans had been scheduled to compete as they do most years. But neither Powell nor Simpson was on start lists released Monday.

The news of the positive tests for Powell and Simpson came the same day that American 100-metre record holder Tyson Gay revealed that he also failed a doping test.

Powell was the last man to hold the 100-metre world record before Usain Bolt broke it in 2008. He also helped the Jamaicans to the 400-metre relay gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Simpson won Olympic gold in the women's 400 relay in 2004 and silver in 2012, along with an individual 100 metre silver in Beijing 2008.

The doping positives come a month after another Jamaican Olympic champion, Veronica Campbell-Brown, tested positive for a banned diuretic.


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2Z89OVeFk

[Twan]

Is your headline information correct? I do not see him listed as an American football player.

According to PAUL REID, of the Jamaica Observer...

[Bricktop]

He played in the CFL...

Member of 2004 Argo Grey cup Champions

[MdmeX]

Former athlete and (American style) football player Chris Xuereb

Paul Reid

[Willi]

Canadian football.

[Assasin]

What kinda football Canada have KMT. LOL

[Willi]

It has different rules to American football. The American League and Nat league basebll has different rules to each other, no?

[Gamma]

Is he American or Canadian?

[Twan]

Paul Doyle, the agent for MVP Track Star Asafa Powell has admitted that he did not do sufficient background checks on the physical trainer believed to have given the Jamaican sprinter tainted supplements.

Asafa's teammate, Sherone Simpson, also tested positive for the banned substance.

They are among five Jamaicans who have returned adverse analytical findings.

Speaking this morning on Nationwide Radio, Doyle said he accepts responsibility for hiring the trainer implicated.

Dolye's admission comes a day after the trainer was held and searched by Italian police.

Doyle has sought to explain why he rushed the process of engaging the trainer.

According to Doyle, the highly recommended trainer came on board just ahead of the National Trials held in June to help prepare Asafa Powell for the championships.

He says this means there was not enough time to for him to do the due diligence on the trainer.

However, how did the introduction of the supplement bypass the rigours systems the MVP says it has established to prevent its athletes from ingesting banned substances?

Doyle says the MVP was never made aware of the supplements suspected to contain the banned substance - oxilofrine.

According to him, the supplements were given directly to Asafa Powell.

Doyle says, as the agent who hired the trainer, he only became aware of the supplements when he got the invoices to pay for them.

According to Doyle, Asafa did not check the legality of the supplements for himself, but Sherone Simpson did so and found no indication that it contained a banned stimulant.

Doyle says immediately after being informed that the athletes were tested positive, the management team suspected that the trainer was responsible.

WHAT IS OXILOFRINE?
Oxilofrine is a stimulant developed and used to treat hypertension (low blood pressure) in people who do not respond to conventional treatment.
Oxilofrine is the prescription name for methylsynephrine, hydroxyephrine and oxyephrine.

HOW OXILOFRINE WORKS?
If not supplied on prescription, then oxilofrine would most commonly be taken as a sports nutrition supplement, mixed with other supplements, in liquid capsule form.

WHAT OXILOFRINE DOES?
Oxilofrine is thought to give a sporting edge by increasing the production of adrenaline to boost exercise endurance, focus, alertness and heart rate, at the same time increasing oxygenation of the blood.

[Islandman]

I am sorry, sounds like a lot of spinning going on here. Trainer is rushed in without due diligence, bypasses MVP procedure and goes directly to athlete with new supplement and he takes them?

And what's with the detaining and search thing? Who was searched, just the trainer or trainer, athlete and others?

I don't believe we are getting the full story from MVP. I really don't.

[Mosiah]

I think they are trying to find a fall guy.

MVP trying dem best at damage control but not sure how much it is helping right now.