Ethiopian runner Ambesse Tolossa has been disqualified as the 2007 Honolulu Marathon men's champion and will serve a two-year international ban on racing after testing positive for opiates.

As a result of the disqualification, Kenyan Jimmy Muindi was awarded the title, making him the first man to win the Honolulu Marathon six times. (Carla Beurskens won the women's competition eight times.)

Tolossa, who finished first in the Honolulu Marathon in 2006 and 2007, was tested immediately after the Dec. 9, 2007 race.

Following United States Track and Field protocols, Tolossa's urine sample was divided into "A" and "B" samples for independent testing by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Results from the "A" sample indicated the presence of opiates, triggering testing of the "B" sample, which verified the findings. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency identified the opiate as morphine.

The results were forwarded to the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, which subsequently suspended Tolossa. The suspension covers all events sponsored by the pan-national International Association of Athletics Federations.

Honolulu Marathon officials were not officially notified of the findings but acted swiftly to disqualify Tolossa's victory after receiving confirmation via the IAAF's latest listing of banned athletes.

Tolossa's racing ban, handed down by the IAAF, is retroactive to May 2 and will last until April 4, 2010.

"We don't know the exact circumstances, but basically it is what it is," said Honolulu Marathon Association president Jim Barahal. "Opiates are not performance-enhancing for distance runners, but they are on the banned substances list and athletes are responsible for knowing what is on that list. There are the same rules that everybody plays by."

This is the second consecutive year in which the IAAF has banned a reigning Honolulu Marathon winner from competition.

Lyubov Denisova, the 2006 Honolulu Marathon women's champion, is serving a two-year suspension for testing positive for elevated testosterone levels. Because Denisova tested positive three months after the Honolulu Marathon, she retained her championship and prize money.

Tolossa is the first athlete to be disqualified by the Honolulu Marathon for an in-competition violation.

The violation was detected after the marathon association, in response to the Denisova situation, asked the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to conduct drug tests on top men's and women's finishers last year.

Normally, the agency only conducts tests at randomly selected events.

"In the past, (athletes) were aware of these random tests and it had a mildly chilling effect," Barahal said. "With Denisova, the effect probably wasn't chilling enough so we'll request and pay for yearly testing. The cost might be prohibitive for smaller, unsponsored races, but for our event it's a must."

Barahal said the testing system is necessary in a highly competitive environment where world-class athletes vie for increasingly large prizes and appearance fees.

"But you don't do this sort of thing if you aren't ready to deal with the results," he said. "If you test, you will get positives and you have to be willing to face that. I'm glad we did it. The system was successful and it's what it's here for."

Muindi, who earned $16,000 for his second-place finish, will receive an additional $24,000 as the champion. Each of other top finishers will also be paid according to their revised places.

The marathon association had withheld Tolossa's $40,000 prize pending the final outcome of the testing.

Tolossa's agent Federico Rosa could not be reached for comment.

Reached at his home in Kenya, Muindi said he was happy that marathon officials caught the violation and corrected the official results.

"I was upset (in 2006) because I didn't know if he used a substance to win," Muindi said. "I was suspecting that something wasn't right. We are happy to know that he did not use his own energy to win (last year)."

Reflective of the intense rivalry between their two countries, Muindi and Tolossa staged two of the most heated contests in Honolulu Marathon history.

In 2006, the two jostled on the return leg over Diamond Head before Tolossa finally pulled ahead for the win. Muindi later accused Tolossa of spitting on him during the race.

Last year, the two raced neck-and-neck until the final two miles, when Muindi was overcome by stomach cramps and vomiting. Tolossa finished the 26.2-mile race in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 26 seconds. Muindi followed 1:27 later.

"When I heard the news this morning, I had mixed feelings," said Muindi's agent Zane Branson, in a phone interview from Belgrade, Yugoslavia. "It's never a pleasure for any race to have to announce that one of its athletes has been disqualified. (Opiates are) a very strange thing to be banned for."

Branson said he thought Tolossa "looked tired, not 100 percent" in the December race.

"I have to commend the organization for having testing again," Branson said. "Athletes should be responsible for their decisions and testing is essential to keep this sport from going under, media-wise, from all of the bad publicity.

"The public needs to realize that this is a positive thing, that this is what (testing) is here for," he said. "Sports has a drug problem, just like the rest of society. This isn't just a marathon issue."

Branson said Muindi is looking forward to putting what he calls "a hollow victory" behind him and winning the race outright in December.

Barahal, who vowed that Denisova would never again run the Honolulu Marathon, said he would not rule out having Tolossa back once his suspension is lifted.

"We don't know what the situation is yet, so I'd like to talk to him and his agent first," Barahal said.