Fani wins with 52.82s in finals and 52.77 in semifinals

To me every time a Greek athlete emerges with a personal best or making headlines, you can’t help but wonder if they’re on banned substances.

The list of suspected and banned Greek athletes includes sprinters Kostas Kenteris, Ekaterini Thanou, Katerina Thanou, Tassos Gousis …

And now adding to the list of tainted ‘drug-using’ athletes is former Olympic 400m hurdles women champion, Fani Halkia, who set a new Olympic record in 2004 at Athens, clocking 52.77 seconds.

Greece’s national athletics federation has confirmed her two years suspension from athletics and possible jail term for testing positive for banned steroid methyltrienolone.

Her test came out positive after being tested at the Beijing Games 2008, and was immediately thrown out of the games.

The 29 year old sprinter coach George Panagiotopoulos also played a part by supplying her with the steroid and he too will be charged.

Both deny any usage or wrongdoings, claiming their defence that a “third party” tampered the sample … yeah right.