PARIS, Oct 18: France’s 400m hurdles Olympic bronze medallist Naman Keita was on Wednesday banned for two years after testing positive for testosterone.

Keita failed the urine test at a training camp before the Osaka world athletics championships in August, leading to the ban handed out by the French athletics federation.

He explained last month that he had been advised to take a dietary supplement to help muscle regeneration and had gone and ordered it off the internet.

“It wasn’t my coach, neither my agent, nor anyone from the Federation who suggested doing it. The mistake I made myself,” he said.

Keita’s representative Bernard Solitude said the athlete would not appeal the ban, having already accepted his guilt.

“July was a catastrophic month for me in terms of performances and after the French Championships I hurt my stomach muscles,” said Keita. “I withdrew into my own shell; I didn’t want to speak to anyone; I was wracked with doubt.”—AFP