Syrian runner fails dope test

Syrian 400m hurdles runner Ghfran Almouhamad has tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine and is disqualified from the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Saturday. Almouhamad, 23, was tested on August 3, two days before she finished eighth in her first round heat. "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has disqualified Syrian athlete Ghfran Almouhamad from the Games for an anti-doping rule violation," said an IOC statement. "(She) is disqualified from the women's 400m hurdles event of the 2012 London Olympic Games where she placed 8th in the 2nd heat of the 1st round." Almouhamad, from Aleppo, was just one of four women in the Syrian squad at the Games