Aussie track star claims she will be racing 'drug cheats'

Beijing: Outspoken Australian track star Tamsyn Lewis has claimed she will be racing drug cheats when she competes at the Beijing Olympics next week.

The world 800m indoor champion said she was disillusioned with her sport, alleging her rivals were gaining an advantage by using performance-enhancing substances.

"I have got to the point where this is just farcical and simply unfair on the athletes who are clean and get there on their own merit," she told Sydney's Daily Telegraph on Wednesday ahead of her Olympic quest.

"I have no doubts that when I line up next week, I will look left and right and know the other girls aren't all clean. That is such a disgrace and I've lost all faith in the system because there are so many athletes who are slipping under the radar. That's not sport. It's plain cheating and we need to be vigilant in nailing those who cross the line," Lewis said.

Athletics has been hit by several high profile doping scandals over the past few years.

Most recently, the United States men's 4x400m relay team were Saturday officially stripped of the title by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after team member Antonio Pettigrew admitted to being doped at the time.

Only Tuesday, IOC drugs chief Arne Ljungqvist accused Russia of systematically doping after seven athletes were hit with suspensions which could lead to four-year bans.

Lewis said the Russian scandal was the final straw for her as one of thiose involved was Yelena Soboleva, who has clocked the fastest times in the world this year over both 800m and 1500m.

"It's a joke and again I've lost count of what I've missed out on because of drug cheats," said told the newspaper.

Lewis, who has been training in Darwin to prepare for the heat and humidity of Beijing, is well known for her outspoken views and run-ins with fellow Australian athlete Jana Rawlinson.

The animosity between the pair boiled over at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne during a public slanging match where Lewis called Rawlinson a "bitch'' on radio.

The IOC will conduct 4,500 doping tests at the Olympics, with at least 700 of those being blood samples -- the most ever.