Three-time world hammer bronze medallist stripped of 2014 Asian Games gold after testing positive for banned substance

Zhang Wenxiu, China's 2008 Olympic bronze medal-winning hammer thrower, has tested positive for a banned substance and been stripped of the gold medal she won at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games on Sunday.

Zhang, who is also a three-time world bronze medallist, having finished third at the Osaka 2007, Daegu 2011 and Moscow 2013 championships, had thrown a personal best and Games record 77.33m to take her third consecutive Asian Games title ahead of her compatriot Wang Zheng and India's Manju Bala, who are now due to be upgraded to gold and silver respectively. Japan's Masumi Aya had finished in fourth place so is now set to be upgraded to bronze.

As reported by insidethegames.biz, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said in a statement that Zhang's "pre-competition urine specimen collected on September 26 was found to contain Zeranol and its metabolite (ß-Zeranol), a prohibited substance in the WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] Prohibited List 2014".

Zhang's is the sixth failed drugs test of the 2014 Asian Games but the first within in the sport of athletics.

The 28-year-old's 77.33m throw had placed her sixth on the world all-time list.

» See the October 2 and October 9 editions of Athletics Weekly magazine for round-up reports and results from the Incheon 2014 Asian Games