DIANE MODAHL yesterday won her 18 month battle to clear her name on a doping charge when the International Amateur Athletic Federation announced that they had dropped any case against her.

The former Commonwealth 800 metres champion had a four year ban lifted by a British Athletic Federation appeal panel last September, and international endorsement of that decision now means she can seek an Olympic place this year.

Modahl (29), who is training in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband and coach Vicente, reacted to the news with a mixture of delight, disbelief and anger. "It is still sinking in," she said. "We went the whole distance, and we won. It is a tremendous relief."

But Modahl, who is now suing the British Athletic Federation for compensation after spending an estimated £500,000 on legal and scientific costs, added "We have lost an awful lot on the back of this. We will ultimately lose our house because of this. It has been a costly fight and not just in financial terms. The mental strain it has placed on myself, my husband and our friends has been enormous. I am very angry that it happened in the first place."

The IAAF Council, meeting in Cape Town yesterday decided the Lisbon laboratory which originally found huge levels of testosterone in Modahl's urine sample after a minor meeting in Portugal two years ago had provided analytical data that was "not satisfactory".

They took into account independent scientific evidence provided by Modahl to show that testosterone could be produced in urine samples which were not stored correctly. "We are delighted for Diane," said the BAF spokesman Tony Ward. "And if she decides to compete again internationally she will be welcomed back into our team."

The decision was described by Vicente, as being of vital importance to all other athletes. "I think this is one of the most significant days in athletics history for the last 20 years," Vicente said, "because it's the day when athletes all over the world will have a safe future with the dope testing system. It will be tightened up in a major way after this.

The Modahls learned of yesterday's decision at their training base through a phone call from Istvan Gyulai, the IAAF general secretary.

"He said he wanted to be the first to tell us that Diane was free," Vicente said. "It is a fantastic achievement. We produced convincing evidence in a new area which convinced both national and international authorities. I think we have done something incredible."

Daine who was at Vicente's side when the call came through at just after 10 in the morning local time, was initially confused about the outcome. "Vicente pointed towards me, and I thought Oh God. It's something terrible. But then he shouted out Yes, yes We won For a few seconds it was great. It is a tremendous relief.

"We had both expected the decision on Sunday from the IAAF, so it meant two sleepless nights for us, she added. "The waiting was traumatic, it was terrible. Vicente sat up in the living room all night last night. I was waking up from time to time and asking "Is that the phone? Is that the phone?"

Modahl planned to celebrate the decision with a run in the park which adjoins their apartment block. "It will be a very exhilarating run for me," she said.

For Vicente, who has been a film source of strength for her throughout her campaign, the run also promised much. "I think even I have a chance of Seb Coe's 800 metres record today" he said.

Modahl's testosterone to epitestosterone level was said by the Lisbon laboratory to be way over the legal limit of 6:1 at 42:1. The ratio involved when Ben Johnson was banned for life in 1992 was 10:1.

When the standard second test was performed on Modahl's sample, it was acknowledged by the IAAF that it had suffered degradation as a result of the laboratory's contents having to be shifted temporarily from the building.

The IAAF argued that this degradation was not significant, but subsequent analysis by Professor Simon Gaskell of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, using samples provided by Modahl, has confirmed that overheated storage conditions can create dramatic increases in testosterone.

A statement read by Istvan Gyulai, the IAAF secretary, said "It was found that the Lisbon laboratory had not conducted the additional analysis necessary for clarifying the doubts which were raised at the BAF hearing and that the analytical data were not sat is factory." Gyulai revealed that Portuguese authorities refused permission for further analysis of the remainder of Modahl's sample.

"While the IAAF council believed that further analysis of the sample could have provided a final resolution of this matter, it was not possible to pursue this course and therefore a serious element of doubt existed," the statement added.