US sprinter Mike Rodgers was handed a provisional suspension after a positive drug test and won't race at the World Athletics Championships, the US Anti-Doping Agency announced Friday. Rodgers is a former US 100 meters champion who was slated to race the 100m and 4x100m relay at the world meet that starts in Daegu, South Korea, this month. “He won't compete until the case is resolved,” USADA spokesperson Annie Skinner said Friday. The 26-year-old Rodgers tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine at a meeting in Italy last month. In a news release, USADA said that Rodgers has claimed “that he did not intentionally ingest the prohibited substance, however, he has decided to withdraw from the World Championships out of fairness to the other athletes competing there so that they may do so without the distraction of his positive test.” Rodgers accepted the provisional suspension pending the outcome of the case, said Skinner. “We will continue to examine the facts of the case as we move forward,” she said. Rodgers finished third in the 100 meters at the US nationals in June. Trell Kimmons will replace Rodgers in the 100m on the US team for the World Championships, USA Track and Field said Friday.
