MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines stands to get another gold medal courtesy of its 4x400-meter relay team after one of the members of the gold-medal winning Malaysian team failed drug tests.
Quoting its sports minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek, the New Strait Times reported that one of the members of that team’s “A” samples tested positive for a banned substance and will be officially stripped of their medal if their “B” samples, scheduled to be tested next week, confirm the initial result.
Cheek, however, didn’t mention the athlete who tested positive. The members of that Malaysian team were Subramaniam Kannathasan, Paneerselvam Yuvaaraj, Schzuan Rosely and Muhamad Yunus Lasaleh.
If the second test comes out with the same result, the Phl’s Jun Rey Bano, Edgardo Alejan, Julius Nierras and Archard Christian Bagsit, who settled for the silver, would take the gold, thus adding to the two athletics golds won by long jumper Marestella Torres and Rene Herrera (steeplechase).
“It’s good news not just to Phl athletics but to Phl sports as well,” said athletics chief Go Teng Kok, whose track and field team had a 2-9-4 (gold-silver-medal) haul in the biennial meet.
The potential gold, however, will hardly affect the country’s dismal sixth place finish after the Filipinos collected a 36-56-77 (gold-silver-bronze) haul, way behind fifth placer Singapore, which had 42-45-73.