IN BRIEF : ’87 High Hurdles Champ Suspended 90 Days for Not Taking Drug Test

Tonie Campbell, the 1987 world indoor high hurdles champion, has been suspended for 90 days for refusing to take a drug test at a track meet in Virginia in February, officials announced today.

The Athletics Congress, track and field’s national governing body, today announced the suspension, which is retroactive to March 11. Campbell, 29, of Ontario, Calif., argued at his March 11 hearing before a TAC panel that he refused the test because of a problem with a nonrefundable airline ticket.

Campbell was called for testing after he finished fourth in the hurdles at the Mobil One Invitational on Feb. 5 in Fairfax, Va. He told doping control officials he had only 40 minutes to catch a plane for which he was holding a nonrefundable ticket issued by the meet promoter. He said he left when it could not be resolved who would pay the difference for a new ticket.