Sports Digest

ATHLETICS: Spanish women's 5,000 metres champion Amaia Piedra yesterday said she had been taken aback by reports that she had been banned for two years after testing positive for the blood-boosting substance (EPO) erythropoietin.

She was quoted by Spanish sports website libredirecto.com as saying: "I haven't spoken about this matter before and I don't plan to now. I will defend myself when I have to and will talk then, but I am outraged that I found out about the sanction through the press."

Spanish media reported the 32-year-old gave a positive test for EPO in a routine doping control carried out by the Spanish Athletics Federation before the Athens Olympics.

BOXING: Amir Khan has abandoned his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal but insisted he was not yet ready to turn professional.

Khan yesterday withdrew from the Amateur Boxing Association championship quarter-finals in East Anglia tomorrow, in a row over the ticket allocation for his supporters.

Speculation persists that Khan, who shot to fame as a 17-year-old on his way to winning a silver medal at the Athens Olympics, is set to turn professional with promoter Frank Warren seemingly at the front of the queue.

TENNIS: Tim Henman played Russian roulette on his way to booking a quarter-final place at the Dubai Tennis Championships yesterday. The British number one beat Igor Andreev 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 after saving two break points in the first set and throwing away two points on his serve for 6-3 in the first set.

Seeing the opening set seized from his grasp seemed to knock the stuffing out of Andreev and Henman easily took the second set and the match.