KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7, 2009 (AFP) – A promising Malaysian cyclist was slapped with a two-year suspension after testing positive for anabolic steroids, reports said Monday.

Fauzan Ahmad Lutfi, 23, tested positive for the banned substance at the Mini Olympics here last month, the New Straits Times reported.

A urine sample taken from the former national road champion contained steroid 19-norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone, the newspaper said, quoting the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia.

Fauzan reportedly said he was “stupid” for taking the banned substance to recover from a knee injury so he could race in the event, which was designed to prepare athletes for the 2012 Olympics.

“My knee was taking an unusually long time to recover and the Mini Olympics, which was the selection meet for the Asian Championships, was coming up,” he said, according to the New Straits Times.

“So, when someone I knew recommended a medication to help speed up the healing of the tissues in the knee, I took it. It was just stupid of me,” he said.

Fauzan was called home from Melbourne last week, where he was involved in an elite training program, after the test results were revealed.

The Malaysian National Cycling Federation deputy president Naim Mohamad said in a statement he was saddened and shocked by the news.

“We cannot allow one bad apple to spoil the basket and tarnish the good name of Malaysian cycling. There is no short cut to success in high performance sport like track cycling,” he added.