CAS clears marathon runner Thys after 6-year case

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - South African marathon runner Gert Thys has won his doping case, nearly six years after testing positive for a steroid when winning the Seoul International Marathon.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal to clear Thys after South African authorities failed to hear his case.

The CAS panel says it is "undisputed'' that Thys tested positive for norandrosterone after winning his third Seoul title in 2006. But it agreed with WADA that "Mr. Thys's due process rights are seemingly being ignored'' in South Africa.

The South African athletics federation had banned Thys for two years and seven months. CAS cleared Thys in 2009 because of laboratory errors in South Korea.