I'm not a cheat: Asafa Powell

Former world 100 metre record holder Asafa Powell confirmed on Sunday that he had failed a drugs test which will keep him out of the upcoming World Championships in Moscow.

Asafa Powell. Pic/Getty Images

Jamaican star Powell was the second leading sprinter on Sunday to fail a dope test following America's former world champion Tyson Gay.

"I will confirm that a sample I gave at the National Trials in June has returned ‘adverse findings'," said the 30-year-old Powell in a statement released on his Twitter account.

"The substance oxilofrine was found, which is considered by the authorities to be a banned stimulant."u00a0The failed test means Powell is out of the Worlds which will take place in Moscow between August 10-18.

Powell went on to vehemently deny he had ever knowingly taken any illegal performance-enhancing drugs.u00a0"I want to be clear...that I have never knowingly or wilfully taken any supplements or substances that break any rules," Powell wrote. "I am not now nor have I ever been a cheat."

He added: "This finding fully negates any possibility of me being a part of Jamaica's contingent of athletes competing at the World Championships in Moscow later this summer.

"I have accepted the consequences that come with this finding - after all there is only one Asafa Powell."u00a0Powell, who runs for the MVP Track and Field Club, said he has been in contact with both anti-doping agencies and law enforcement officials about the matter.

He did not go into detail about what role law enforcement is taking.u00a0"We are co-operating with the relevant agencies and law enforcement authorities to discover how the substance got into my system," said Powell, who held the 100 metre world record between June 2005 and May 2008.u00a0