-------------------- Triathlete Beke Suspended for 18 Months --------------------
By Associated Press
March 4, 2005, 9:40 AM CST
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Triathlete Rutger Beke was suspended Friday for 18 months after testing positive for the banned endurance enhancer EPO during a competition in Belgium last year.
The Belgian triathlete denies he took the illegal substance and is expected to appeal. The suspension was handed down by regional authorities in Belgium.
Beke finished second in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii in 2003 and fifth last year. Copyright (c) 2005, The Associated Press
