TWO-YEAR BAN FOR LIFTER

Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
April 23 2007

DUAL Commonwealth Games weightlifting gold medallist Aleksan Karapetyan
has been suspended for two years for using a banned substance.

Armenian-born Karapetyan, nicknamed the "Big Gorilla", tested positive
to the stimulant benzylpiperazine (BZP) in a competition in the US
in June 2005.

However Karapetyan, 36, will be able to keep the gold medal he won
in the 94kg competition at the Commonwealth Games last year because
he tested clean at that event.

He is the fifth Australian weightlifter suspended for testing positive
to BZP.