Athletics: British four to receive 1997 world golds

GREAT BRITAIN'S 4x400 metres relay squad from the 1997 World Championships will finally receive the gold medals due to them after American Antonio Pettigrew confessed to drug violations.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) took the decision to annul the USA's victory at the championships in Athens after Pettigrew confessed to using banned substances for a period of six years.

Pettigrew, the 1991 world 400m individual champion, admitted to using human growth hormone and EPO between 1997 and 2003, which led to the American team also being stripped of the world record set by their quartet in Greece, when the British team finished in the silver medal position.

Although the IAAF requested the medals to be returned after his revelations, they were unsuccessful so took the decision to produce new medals which were delivered to UK Athletics just prior to Christmas.

Now the British quartet of Iwan Thomas, Roger Black, Jamie Baulch and Mark Richardson will be presented with their awards at a date to be decided by UK Athletics.