BRITISH ATHLETICS chiefs yesterday played down claims that Linford Christie only escaped a drugs ban because of a technical loophole.

A newspaper report claimed that former world and Olympic 100 metres champion Christie, as well as 200 metres runner Doug Walker and 400 metres hurdler Gary Cadogan, who all tested positive for nandrolone, would not have been cleared by UK Athletics if the investigations had taken place just a few weeks later.

All three men were found to have metabolites of the banned drug in their systems, but after protesting their innocence they were cleared of any wrongdoing.

But the report said that Olympic and International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) regulations mean illegal substances have to be named in order to secure bans and suggests that two, which were added to the IAAF list in August but which will not be officially banned until November, are at the heart of the issue.

The substances - 19Norandrostenedione and 19Norandrostenediol - are said to produce the same metabolites as nandrolone.

UK Athletics spokesman Jayne Pearce confirmed the substances will be added to the list but denied any underhand dealings.

"What was found in the urine of Doug, Gary and Linford could have come from these two substances, so it's a very simple fact that there might have been different facts to look at had the tests been taken later in the year," she said. "But what is categorically wrong is to say that the outcome would have been different. There would have been different facts to look at.

"They (the substances) had been added earlier to the IOC list, but of course that's irrelevant in athletics because the lists we follow are the IAAF's.

"The IAAF has added the two substances to their list, which has in fact been reported elsewhere, and there are certain rules as to when they come into operation round about November."

Asked if Christie would have been banned had his tests been carried out in November, Pearce said: "Not necessarily. It would have just been different facts to look at. '

Pearce said UK Athletics were happy with the way they had dealt with the matter, despite a further probe by the IAAF, and promised they would fight the corner for the athletes who are still under suspicion internationally despite being cleared at home.

A UK Athletics statement later insisted Pearce had been misquoted in the newspaper article, in which she was reported as saying that come November the three athletes would have been banned.

Catherina McKiernan had to be content with a seventh-place finish in the Amsterdam International Half-Marathon yesterday in a time of one hour, 14 minutes, one second, almost five minutes behind the winner, Tegla Laroupe of Kenya who finished in 1:09.20.

With the Chicago Marathon just five weeks away, McKiernan still has some obvious work to do, but the most important aspect of this race was that she was able to run without pain after the calf muscle injury which curtailed her training last month.