Tim Montgomery and three other U.S. track athletes were notified by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that they may have committed drug violations that could keep them from the Athens Olympics.

The letters are the first formal step in USADA’s attempt to punish athletes based on documentary evidence instead of a positive drug test.

Montgomery’s lawyer, Cristina Arguedas, said the world 100-meter record holder has done nothing wrong and that they will fight any attempt to keep him from running.

“Tim has been a willing participant in the drug testing process and he has passed every test he has ever taken,” Arguedas said in a statement released Tuesday. “The evidence that we have been shown by USADA and that we are still reviewing is inconclusive and internally inconsistent.”

USADA didn’t release the names of the track athletes, nor specifics of the allegations.

A source within the U.S. Olympic movement, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, identified the others as: Olympic silver medalist in the 400 meters Alvin Harrison and sprinters Christye Gaines and Michelle Collins. Gaines is a two-time Olympic medalist in the 400-meter relay and Collins was the 2003 world indoor champion in the 200.

USADA said the next step is for a review board to examine the cases.

No letter was sent to sprint star Marion Jones, who is Montgomery’s girlfriend and the mother of their child.

Montgomery and Jones have denied using any performance-enhancing drugs, and Jones has promised court action if an attempt is made to punish her without a positive test.

Montgomery recently left coach Dan Pfaff to return to his former coach, Steve Riddick. Pfaff remains Jones’ coach.

Two records fall at IAAF track meet

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic – Stacy Dragila broke the world outdoor record in the pole vault and Kenenisa Bekele set the mark in the 10,000-meter race at an IAAF meet Tuesday.

Bekele, of Ethiopia, finished in 26 minutes and 20.31 seconds, breaking countryman Haile Gebrselassie’s record of 26:22.75 set in 1998. Bekele’s feat came just nine days after he broke Gebrselassie’s 5,000-meter record in 12:37.95.

Dragila cleared 15 feet, 10 inches on her third attempt, beating by a quarter-inch the record set by Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia. The Olympic champion and 33-year-old pioneer in the sport seemed as surprised as anyone that she made it.

Dragila held the outdoor record of 15, 9 1/4 for two years until last July, when Isinbayeva reached 15, 9 3/4. Isinbayeva still holds the indoor record (15 feet, 11 1/4 inches), which she set in March at the world championships in Budapest, Hungary.

– The Associated Press