By PA Sport Staff

Tim Brabants is satisfied with the bronze medal he won in the K1 Canoe sprint at the Sydney Games, no matter what the outcome of an investigation into an alleged positive test for a banned diuretic by silver-medallist Petar Merkov of Bulgaria.

Brabants, a fourth-year medical student at Nottingham University, captured Britain's first Olympic sprint medal in the kayak when finishing third in the K1 1,000 metres race, with Merkov second behind champion Knut Holmann of Norway.

"I'm really chuffed to have won the bronze medal," Brabants said. "And it wouldn't feel the same to win a silver by default."

But the matter is not in his hands.

The International Canoe Federation are looking into press claims in Bulgaria that Merkov and another Bulgarian, Marian Dimitrov, returned positive tests two weeks before the games.

"I think it's something the ICF are pursuing," said Simon Clegg, Chef de Mission of Team GB.

"We and other countries put together a petition that was presented to the ICF and the issue is still being looked at.

"I have tried by fax to get an answer from the Bulgarian Anti-Doping Commission but until now have received no answer," ICF president Ulrich Feldhoff said.

"We have also tried to make phone contact and that has also not been successful. The two phone numbers are constantly engaged."

Whatever the outcome, Brabants, who hails from Walton on Thames, will return home with a medal since he edged Israel's Michael Kolganov by 0.04secs to claim third.

"I didn't know if I'd got a medal when I crossed the line," Brabants said. "I thought I might have got third."

"I came out here expecting to make the final and hoping to make the top half.

"When I made the final I thought 'Yes, I've got a good chance now' - but I never really dreamed of a medal. I was very, very pleased with that."

The race had an awkward start for Brabants and the others because the gates failed to drop down at the first attempt.

When the gates did drop on the re-start, Argentinian Javier Andres Correa and Spaniard Emilio Merchan stormed into the lead.

At 250m, Correa led Holmann with Merkov third, followed by Brabants.

The Brit slipped to fifth at the halfway mark and appeared to be falling out of medal contention, but just as Merkov surged into second place with 250m to go, Brabants found enough strength to challenge for third.

In a close finish he fended off Kolganov and also pipped Correa.

"One of my rowing friends said this week that if you didn't feel like you were going to die as you crossed the line then you hadn't really given it all you've got," said Brabants.

"I felt like I was going to die today."

Brabants admits the medal performances earlier in the Games had given him extra motivation.

"It's been so inspiring watching the rowing guys win their medals because they train on the same course which we train on," he said.

"It's been just so inspiring - I think that's driven me on to try and achieve what I can. This is something I'm going to treasure for a long time."