Jamaica coach banned for life for drug trafficking

Former Jamaican track star Raymond Stewart, who went on to coach banished American sprinter Jerome Young and other Olympic medalists, has been kicked out of the sport for life for obtaining performance-enhancing drugs for his athletes.



The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced the ban yesterday, after an arbitration panel determined Stewart bought drugs from Angel Memo Heredia, whose cooperation has been used in investigations of banned coach Trevor Graham and others.



Stewart was a 100-metre specialist who appeared in four Olympics for Jamaica and won a silver medal in the 400 relay at the 1984 Games.



He joins Graham and Remi Korchemny as the third coach the United States Anti-Doping Agency has had kicked out of track for a role in helping athletes obtain and take drugs.



The arbitrators relied on evidence stating Stewart met Heredia in 1997 and the two maintained a relationship through 2006.



Others Stewart coached, according to the evidence, included J.J. Johnson, a member of the United States 2003 world champion 400 relay team, Kenny Brokenburr, a member of America's gold-medal, 400 team from the 2000 Games and three-time Olympic medalist Beverly McDonald of Jamaica, who later married Stewart.