Athletics: Ireland's racewalkers rocked by Fernandez doping scandal
Friday November 27 2009
SOME of Ireland's elite racewalkers have been rocked by the news that Francisco 'Paquillo' Fernandez has been caught up in the latest doping scandal to rock Spanish sport.
Fernandez was the Olympic silver medallist in Athens and is a sometime training partner of Cork walker, Robert Heffernan, whenever the Togher star travels to Guadix for altitude training.
But Fernandez's house in Granada was one of those raided in this week's big anti-doping sting and while he was not one of 11 people arrested, it has been alleged that doping agents were found in his home.
The Spanish walker has vehemently denied any involvement, saying immediately: "I have never worked with this doctor and I have never had anything to do with doping."
The homes and pharmacies raided in what was dubbed 'Operation Grial' have been linked to former Kelme cycling team doctor Walter Viru, who was among the nine men and two women detained.
The investigators also alleged that packages were couriered from Viru to Monserrat Pastor, the widow of Fernandez's first trainer, Manuel Alcalde.
They have given no details on what these packages contained and Pastor, noticeably, has not been linked to any other part of the investigation.
But she would also be well known to Heffernan and Loughrea's Olive Loughane, who took some technical advice from Pastor last summer and credited the Spanish coach with helping her to win silver at the World Championships in Berlin.
Athletics Ireland's High Performance Chairman, Patsy McGonagle, stressed yesterday that Heffernan and Loughnane are both largely home-based, with only occasional contact with the Spaniards involved. But he said that "in the circumstances we must reassess that arrangement and we will definitely be making alternative technical coaching arrangements for our athletes".
Various Spanish media sources have identified Peruvian physician, Viru, and Contentpolis-AMPO cyclist, Pedro José Vera, as two of those arrested.
Viru was a former colleague of Eufemiano Fuentes, who was arrested in relation to a previous cycling-related doping scandal called 'Operation Puerto'.
Elsewhere, Martin Fagan, who is expected to lead the Irish men's team at next month's European Cross-Country Championships in Santry, could only finish fourth in the 4.78-mile Manchester Road Race in America yesterday in 22:01, in the Thanksgiving event won by Kenyan Harron Lagat in 21:40.
Alistair Cragg looks to have done enough to be selected for the Europeans at Santry by proving his fitness in a race at San Jose yesterday, finishing fifth, in 13 minutes and 45 seconds, at the Silicon Valley 5km road race.
- Cliona Foley
Irish Independent
