AthleticsThe American sprinter Michelle Collins has been hit with an eight-year suspension for using a cocktail of banned drugs EPO, testosterone and the designer steroid, THG.

An independent arbitration panel found that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) had proved Collins, 2002 world indoor 200-metre champion, had indulged in extensive doping deliberately designed to elude drugs testers.

A statement from the three-member panel said: "USADA has proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Collins took EPO - the testosterone/epitestosterone cream - and THG, and that Collins used these substances to enhance her performance and elude the drug-testing which was available at the time."

Collins' case is unusual in that the athlete has not tested positive for any of the drugs.

However, USADA acted against the 33-year-old on evidence gleaned from information obtained during raids on the BALCO laboratories as part of a federal probe into the company's doping programme - an investigation which has implicated a number of American sport's biggest names.

Other athletes involved in the BALCO scandal have received four-year bans, but the arbitration panel decided to double the penalty for Collins because they found that her "participation in the BALCO conspiracy amounted to a cover-up . . . and because her doping took place over an extended period".

Collins has also forfeited her 2002 title, and USADA chief executive Terry Madden welcomed the verdict. "For the last year-and-a-half, USADA has been committed to uncovering the truth regarding athletes and others who participated in the BALCO drug conspiracy," he said. "The panel's decision confirms that those who violate the rules will be sanctioned as part of USADA's ongoing efforts to protect the rights of the overwhelming majority of US athletes that compete drug-free."