Athens, Greece (My Sportsbook) - American track star Torri Edwards will learn on Tuesday whether or not she can race in the 2004 Olympics, as her appeal for a two-year suspension was heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport Monday evening. Edwards was given the ban on Wednesday by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, making her ineligible to compete at the Olympics in Athens. Three-time gold medalist Gail Devers has been chosen to replace Edwards in the 100 meter sprint, while her spot in the 200 meters will go to La Shauntea Moore, who was fourth at the U.S. trials in that event. That is if the suspension is upheld. Edwards was suspended for taking a banned stimulant called nikethamide at a meet in Martinique in April. The suspension followed a hearing before a three- member arbitration panel of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and CAS and consideration by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The suspension for Edwards is back-dated to July 18, 2004 and all of her competitive results were disqualified from that date on. Among the results which where nullified are her first-place finishes in 100 and 200 meter events at the Meeting IAAF du Conseil General and first place in the 100 meters and third place in the 200 meters at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Sacramento last month. A decision on Edwards' status needs to be made soon as the track and field competition starts in Athens later this week. Devers was the 100-meter gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Games and at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Devers also won the gold in the 4x100 meter relay in 1996. In an interview in July, Edwards told a pool of reporters the positive test from April was due to a glucose supplement that she took. Edwards was part of the bronze medal 4x100 meter relay team in the 2000 Olympics and had won the 100 meters at the 2003 World Championships.
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