BEIJING Olympics 100m silver medallist Sherone Simpson was suspended for 18 months, while London Olympics discus thrower Allison Randall received a two-year ban by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Commission, yesterday, for failed drug tests last June.

Simpson, 29, tested positive for the banned stimulant oxilofrine at the 2013 Jamaican National Championships and her sanction takes effect from the date of the drug test on June 21, 2013, ruling her ineligible to compete until December 20, 2014, while Randall is ineligible to compete until June 2015.

Lennox Gayle, chairman of the three-member disciplinary panel comprising Dr Jephthah Ford, and former FIFA referee Peter Prendergast, said after carefully examining all the evidence submitted by both parties, their decision was unanimous.

“Miss Simpson had admitted the anti-doping rule violation and as such she brought evidence… Having listened and reviewed all the evidence, and having listened to the detailed submissions of counsel for JADCO and Miss Simpson, this panel is unanimously of the view that Miss Simpson was negligent in all the circumstances as an elite athlete and of such the period of ineligibility will be no less than 18 months commencing from the date of sample collection that been June 21, 2013,” said Gayle.

Simpson, the 2006 Commonwealth Games 200m gold medallist, was not present yesterday, but her lead attorney Kwame Gordon was not amused by the ruling and is awaiting instructions from his client as to the way forward.

“I wouldn’t say I am happy with what they have given. I think it was something that we had considered was a possibility as to whether there could be less time,” said Gordon, moments after the ruling.

“That is something that when we discuss with our client we can determine whether we believe it should have been less and take it from there,” he added.

“They have ruled, we have to accept what they have ruled, but we are going to have a look at it in particular when we get the reasons in writing, we will have a close look and consider what to do,” he noted.

Simpson had said she was not a “cheat” and that she never intentionally took the banned stimulant oxilofrine. In fact, she blamed her new trainer for providing her with one of six supplements that led to a positive test.

She added that she researched the “Epiphany D1” supplement for up to 14 hours online before taking it, and that nothing “raised a red flag or an alarm bell”.

Last night, her agent Paul Doyle in a Television Jamaica report, declared that the athlete would be appealing the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, earlier, Randall, 26, Jamaica’s national discus record holder with a distance of 61.21m, who tested positive for hydro-chlorothiazide also at Jamaica’s National Trials last June, was given a harsher sanction by another JADCO disciplinary panel chaired by Kenneth Pantry and completed by Olympian Juliet Cuthbert and Professor Archibald McDonald.

The 2013 CAC champion was present via Skype dressed in a purple sweat top and sat quietly as Pantry read the verdict and promised a written statement at a later date.

“The panel is of the view that in relation to 10.4 of the rules, you were unable to establish how the specified substance entered your body or came into your possession. Under those provisions there should be and that there was no intention to enhance performance or mask the use of enhance performing substance,” explained Pantry, a former director of public prosecutions.

“Based on that, the panel is of the view that you would not be able to benefit from the provisions of article 10.4 of the rules.

“So the sanction imposed by the disciplinary panel is two years ineligibility and the panel considered the time that the hearing took. The panel is of the view that the suspension should commence on the date of the collection of the sample,” he added.

Randall showed no emotion after the verdict and her lead attorney Dr Lloyd Barnett refused to comment on the ruling.

Meanwhile, yesterday’s ruling does not bode well for Simpson’s teammate Asafa Powell, who tested positive for the same stimulant as Simpson also at the 2013 Jamaican National Championships. He will learn of his fate from the same group tomorrow.