HELSINKI . Aug 7: British sprinter Solomon Wa-riso, once descri-' bed as the new Linford Christie.

. declared at the European Championships here on Sunday after falling a drugs test: "It was Just a stupid mistake".

Wariso, who ironically studied bio chemistry at University, was Immediately withdrawn frotji the British team after a test, taken on July 1. revealed traces of ephedrine, reports AFP.

But the 200m runner received the full backing of team captain Linford Chrstie — himself involved in a drugs scare at the Seoul Olympics — and the British’ Athletics Federation.

Wariso. 27. who now faces a three-months ban. revealed he had taken a herbal tonic and checked all the Ingredients on the International Amateur Athletics Federation banned lists.

The runner, brandishing the.battle of pills he took, said: "I'm a bio-chemist by trade and I know what's on the banned list.

"I was given the pills by a mate of mine who Is also an athlete and got them in Florida at a nutrition centre. He was told they were legitimate — .1 swear on my heart I did not know they contained ephedrine. It was a stupid mistake."

British athletics chief Peter Radford said Wariso could 'have run until a second test

confirmed the result but he was sure it would show the same result and the ban would be retrospective, thus ruling out what he did in Helsinki.

"It's not in his interests, the other competitors' or those of the championships. He is paying a heavy price but we have no alternative," Radford said.

"I personally believe’what he told me. I would warn ottfer athletes to get expert advice before they take anything."

Wariso said Christie, who was cleared of taking drugs in Seoul after experts accepted he had taken Ginseng tea. had given him his full backing.

Team doctor Malcolm Brown said he thought the ephedrine was contained in a Chinese ingredient called Mahung in the tonic, adding: "It's extremely unlikely this would have had any performance-enhancing qualities whatsoever."

The last British track drugs case involved Jason Livingstone. The sprinter was banned for life in 1992 for using steroids.

Norwegian .sprinter Aham Okeke was thrown out of the championships on Saturday morning after testing positive for the stimulant pseudoephedrine last month and . faces a three-month ban from the sport.

Norwegian team officials said the Nigerian-born Okeke. who was due to compete in the 100 ahd 200 metres here, had tested positive for pseudoephedrine at the Stockholm Grand Prix on July 12.

The 24-year-old Okeke. who was not a major threat to Britain's defending champion Linford Christie in the 100 metres but could have reached the final, faces a likely ban of three months from the sport.

The sport's governing body, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), do not regard the drug as a serious enough offence to merit a longer ban.

But the drug fs controversial since some former athletes believe it can be very effective in improving sprinting speed and aggression.

Forced to pack his bags and return home to Oslo instead of preparing for Sunday's 100 metres heats. Okeke said he had not knowingly taken an illegal stimulant and blamed a doctor in the United States for misleading him.

"1 did not know the allergy medicine I was prescribed contained an illegal substance. I asked the doctor if I could use it and he said "Yes". Now that has been proved wrong and it's very disappointing." Okeke told reporters in Oslo.

Asked why he had not been more careful Okeke said that, while accepting final responsibility himself, he had expected better from a doctor.

"If you can't trust a doctor who can you trust?" said Okeke. who trained and raced ln*the United States earlier in the season.

A Norwegian Federation spokesman in Oslo said that whenever Okeke had been tested recently he had noted the' name of the allergy drug on the records.