EMBATTLED Jamaican sprinter Steve Mullings is confident he will be cleared of drug cheating charges as allegations swirl after he returned an Adverse Analytical Finding at the JAAA/Supreme Ventures National Senior Trials June 23-26.

While explaining he was not allowed to speak to the media yet, when contacted in Florida by the Observer yesterday, the 28-year-old expressed confidence his name would be cleared and he would be able to continue competing.

News of the failed drug test broke on Wednesday, two days after Mullings was notified of the finding and after initially denying that his client was involved, Britain-based track and field agent John Regis on Thursday evening confirmed that the former Vere Technical, Barton County and Mississippi State athlete had returned a tainted urine sample at the JAAA/Supreme Ventures National Senior Trials.

Regis was heard on a television interview Thursday night confirming that the Florida-based Mullings had been notified earlier this week and while refusing to go into any details said they would be contesting the findings.

On Thursday, a release from the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) confirmed that they had “received an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from a sample collected at the Jamaica National Trials on June 24, 2011” the night of the 100m final where he finished third behind Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake.

Mullings, who ran seven sub-10-second timing this season, including his personal best 9.80 seconds, third best this year behind Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, his American training partner, also won the 200m at Trials and was expected in some quarters to leave the 13th IAAF World Championships in Daegu with up to three medals.

Mullings was fifth in the 200m final two years ago at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin and was on the 4x100m relay team that won gold and also won silver in 2007 in Osaka, Japan as part of the relay team.

Meanwhile, it is unlikely that given the time frame that Mullings will be named on the Jamaica squad for Daegu.

The final list of athletes must be submitted to the IAAF by midnight Central European time on Monday, August 19, and it is understood that Mullings’ B sample will be tested a day later on Tuesday at the IAAF/WADA-accredited lab in Montreal, Canada.

Under IAAF and JAAA rules, the athlete is provisionally suspended until he/she is cleared by the national governing body and the IAAF.

If Mullings is unable to compete, his places would be taken by Nesta Carter in the 100m and Marvin Anderson in the 200m, while Dexter Lee would move up a place in the relay pool.

Carter was fourth in the 100m and Anderson fourth in the 200m, while Lee in his first season as a senior, was sixth in the 100m final but would move up to fifth position.