Merritt cleared to compete at World Champs for the US

Lashawn Merritt, the defending world and Olympic 400 metres champion, will be part of the United States team's roster for the 2011 (International Association of Athletics Federations) IAAF World Championships, to be held from August 27 to September 4 in Daegu, South Korea. 

The board of USA Track and Field (USATF) has approved recommendations by their chief of sport performance and men's track & field committees to place Merritt on the roster. 

Merritt had tested positive for dhea in October, 2009.

Last October, the American arbitration association declared that his ban would end July 27, 2011, shorter than the traditional 24-month ban, which makes him eligible to again compete prior to the World Championships.

IAAF policies grant waivers to the World Championships for defending world champions, provided their federations enter them into the meet.

USATF team selection policies require defending champions to compete at US outdoors in order to be placed on the roster unless they request and are granted a waiver to the policy.

However, Merritt had applied for and was granted the waiver.