Fani Halkia may be forced to spend up to two years in prison after a Greek prosecutor charged her with using banned steroids. The Greek hurdler, who won gold in the 400 metres hurdling event during the Olympic Games in 2004, was apparently found to have used methyltrienolone.

She was prevented from competing in this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing when her ‘B’ sample was found to contain the steroid, which the International Olympic Committee defines as a drug which has the potential to "damage the health of athletes” and may even threaten their lives.

Tassos Gousis and Dimitris Regas, both sprinters from Greece, were also charged with using the same substance. The hurdler’s coach, George Panagiotopoulos, has been charged with supplying banned substances and is now facing a prison sentence of up to three years, as well as a potentially hefty fine.

The athletes and the coach have all spoken out about their apparent innocence but they will have to face trial within one year. Halkia remains adamant that she has never been involved with steroids and believes that her ‘B’ sample was tampered with by “third parties”.

It is certainly a sad chapter in the life of an athlete who shot to fame after her performance in the 2004 Olympics. She was relatively unknown prior to her involvement in the Olympics, with a previous highlight being a sixth place finish in the 400 metres event at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest. She currently holds the Greek record for both the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdling event.