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British sprinter Levine banned 4 years for doping

LONDON -- British sprinter Nigel Levine, who has won world and European championship medals, has been banned for four years for doping.

The U.K. Anti-Doping agency said Tuesday that Levine tested positive in an out-of-competition test last year for the banned substance clenbuterol, which can be used to burn fat.

UKAD's ruling says Levine accepted a four-year ban in August after arguing that one of the supplements he was taking was contaminated.

UKAD says Levine provided two samples of a supplement for testing, but it couldn't test them because one container was empty and the other was from a different batch to the one Levine said he'd taken.

Levine won the 4x400-meter relay at the 2014 European indoor championships, silver in the same event at the 2012 European championships and relay bronze at the 2013 world championships.