Belgian sprinter Erik Wymeersch, who won the M35 title at 60 meters at the WMA world meet in Linz this past March, is being detained by authorities on drug-selling and doping charges (human growth hormone). According to reports on the Koops’ site and elsewhere, Erik, 36, denies taking “forbidden” substances, and says he took only a “cough mixture.” But a rival says Erik has been doping for a decade.

These were the results from Linz:
60m, Men M35 – Finals
Date: 18.03.2006 Begin: 18:45h
1 1003 Wijmeersch Erik BEL 6,82
2 3508 Posse Cesar DEN 6,99
3 4055 Itacaramby Ricardo Oliveira BRA 7,01
3 2809 Dunwell Mark GBR 7,01
5 1142 Palla Antonello ITA 7,13
6 4248 Pendland Reginald USA 7,20
7 4204 Drummond Don USA 7,27
8 1680 Boukaia Abdelaziz GER 7,33
(I’d like to hear Don Drummond’s reaction. Anyone have his email address?)
Here are some reports:
Wymeersch arrest extended
Fri 23/06/06 – A Dendermonde court has decided said that sprinter Erik Wymeersch is to remain behind bars.
36-year-old Wymeersch was taken into custody on Wednesday, amid allegations that he had both taken and sold performance-enhancing substances.
Wide-ranging consequences?
The East Fleming’s incarceration could have wide-ranging consequences.
The head of the Flemish Athletics League, Eddy De Vogelaer, told journalists that if it were proved that Wymeersch took performance-enhancing drugs during last weekend’s European Cup, the sprinter’s results will be annulled.
This would mean that the Belgian relay team would not yet have qualified for the European Athletics Championships this summer and that the Belgian team would not have earned promotion to the European Super League.
Wymeersch denies
Erik Wymeersch denies the use of any performance-enhancing substances.
According to media reports, he was not co-operating with the investigators on Thursday.
It is thought that police found IGF-1 at his home, the latest type of growth hormone which cannot be traced down during doping tests.
Stevens: “I knew he was cheating”
Former Belgian sprinter Patrick Stevens, who is not Wymeersch’s best friend, told the Flemish daily Het Laatste Nieuws he knew all along that Wymeersch was cheating.
Both were rivals for several years, meeting different times on the professional circuit.
“Erik Wymeersch has been using drugs for ten years,” he told the Flemish daily Het Laatste Nieuws.
“He doesn’t have the talent to be a top class athlete. And all of a sudden, he was really well-muscled. Very strange, if you ask me.”
“Revolutionary training programme”
Wymeersch claimed that the spectacular come back he made this year is thanks to a revolutionary training programme he discovered in Greece.
This year, Erik Wymeersch became the quickest Belgian over 100 metres of the past four years.
He also won both the 100 metre and 4×100 metre relay races at the European Cup last weekend.
Erik Wymeersch was at his peak in 1996, when he won a gold medal on the 200 metres at the European Indoor Championships in Stockholm.
He also represented Belgium in the 100 and 200 metre races at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Here’s a very rouigh translation of the German post:
Doping: Belgian Masters Sprinter remains in detention
The Belgian Sprinter Erik Wymeersch continues to remain in detention, after the police after own representation during a house search Dopingsubstanzen with it had found. The responsible criminal courts in the Belgian Dendermonde extended the warrant of arrest on Friday morning against the Sprinter.
With that 36 years old mast R-S resounding world champion of this spring over 60m were according to data that Public prosecutor’s office of growth hormone products surely placed. The investigations had begun, after the Belgian one Dopingtest had rejected and had stated, he had taken substances never forbidden. The criminal court justified the warrant of arrest with fear of collusion and escape and extended the remand around one month.
Erik Wymeersch inserted complaint over its lawyer against the detention continuation. “It only if cough mixture, a Abmagerungspille and 9 white pills were found, which it received however from its coach “, Wymeersch’ said lawyer to the reason. The partings, which were found at its body, came from one Akupunkturbehandlung, so the defender.
Wymeersch denies the Dopingvorwürfe. Its substantial increases in output would be, thus to Wymeersch, because of a “revolutionary Training program ” from Greece. Eric Wymeersch was at the Wednesday evening because of Possession of and trade with Dopingmitteln arrested. Subsequently, had the public prosecutor’s office admits given that during a search of the dwelling of Wymeersch Dopingmittel found are.
It assumes it itself with the Doping suspecting against the Wymeersch not around an individual case acts. Also a further flämischer athlete is to have been in the meantime heard; it is to concern 400m-Läufer Cédric van Branteghem. it is however only as a witness heard, it meant. Also Patrick Himschoot, Trainer von Wymersch and Van Branteghem, was with the police heard to the reproaches. He said that those Affair after an anonymous letter in Roles came.
Questions would be always placed, if someone particularly well or fast run. If this leads however to the fact that all athletes are suspicious, then go it to the sport badly, thus Himschoot, which does not want to have “anything noticed”.
“If Erik however in detention to remain must, lies for it probably a reason forwards”, continued to supplement it. Himschoot excludes however completely that Cédric van Branteghem something with Doping to do have could. However doubt grows with sport colleagues of Erik Wymeersch. Anthony ferrous, one its , The sudden holds crew colleagues Increase in output of the Sprinters however for remarkable.
“In the winter I was two seconds faster than it and it turned around now. It must have happened thus somewhat. But so far nothing is proven”, like that ferrous, which had occupied the latter week with the Superleaguefinale in Prague with Wymeersch a room. There he noticed, said however nothing suspicious he.
The chairman of the flämischen Athletikverbandes, Eddy De Vogelaer, said opposite journalists that the Sprinter and thus the Belgian team the results from the European Superleague that Leichtathleten from the past weekend in Prague were denied, should be confirmed the reproaches. Then the Swedish team became 2007 at the Europacup instead of the Belgians participate. (26.06.06)