MADRID – Spanish runner Angel Mullera, selected for the 3,000-meter hurdles in the London Games, was taken off the Olympic team by the Spanish Track and Field Federation due to his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Taking his place on the team will be Sebastian Martos, who was among the reserve athletes.

The Spanish federation’s technical committee, the organization in charge of preparing the team’s lineup, decided to dismiss Mullera, apart from any disciplinary action, and put him under precautionary suspension for alleged non-compliance with the anti-doping rule.

The sports daily As published a number of e-mails that the track start apparently exchanged with a trainer who recommended that he take some controlled substances.

The federation got an anonymous tip early this year about those e-mails, which dated to the previous year, but at the time legal counsel said they were “useless” because such communications are easily falsified.

Mullera won a place on Spain’s Olympic team by running the 3,000-meter hurdles in 8:17.91 in the meet at Mataro. EFE