Greece's Thanou optimistic on drugs test verdict

Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou is confident charges against her and fellow athlete Costas Kenteris over a missed drugs test before the Athens Olympics will be dropped after giving fresh evidence to a disciplinary hearing.

The disgraced Greek pair missed a series of doping tests and withdrew from last year's Games amid a storm of publicity.

"I am confident and optimistic," Thanou told reporters after the hearing on Sunday. "We presented new evidence to the committee that they were not aware of."

Thanou did not give any more details on the new evidence. A decision on the case is expected in about a month.

Kenteris, 31, the defending men's 200 metres champion, and Thanou, 29, who won the women's 100 metres silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games, face a two-year ban if found guilty.

The athletes have been suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for missing three tests, including the one scheduled for Athens.

"After five months we finally had the chance to give explanations," Thanou said. "Hope dies last."

The athletes' lawyer Grigoris Ioanidis said he believed they would be found innocent.

"We are almost certain that the charges will be dropped," he said.

"We believe that we have presented (a case) that the charges are unreasonable."

The disciplinary committee was set up by the Greek Athletics Federation (SEGAS).

The IAAF said the sprinters had failed to provide samples for tests in Tel Aviv, Chicago and Athens within the space of a few months and ordered SEGAS to hold an inquiry.

Last week, Thanou's coach Christos Tzekos contradicted a top doping official who said the sprinters could not be found in the athletes' village to undergo testing.

"There are two ways you can see a subject but it is up to the committee to decide," he said after testifying.

"We presented the reality as we lived it."