Wang powers ahead of the field [GALLO/GETTY]

Spokesman Sun Yuanfu said the 21-year-old Wang will be stripped of the 100-metres title she won at the National Games last Thursday.

Wang's urine sample showed elevated levels of testosterone, Sun said, without giving details.

The athlete from the southeastern province of Fujian will be expelled from the games and barred from the 200-metre final for which she had also qualified, Sun said.

Wang was a finalist in the 200 at the 2006 world junior championships.

The usual suspension in such circumstances is two years from competition.

But Chinese Athletics Administration Center vice director Shen Chunde told domestic media Monday that Wang could be banned from the sport for life.

Wang has accepted the outcome and will not ask for a second test on her "B'' sample, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

However, the agency quoted her as denying having taken drugs and calling for an investigation.

Wang said she "strongly asked the concerned bodies to investigate the whole case and tell everybody why my sample tested positive.''

Wang, who was eliminated in the first round of the 100 at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing last year and has a personal best time of 11.42 seconds, is the third athlete at the National Games to fail drug testing following pistol shooter Li Jie and rower Guo Linna. All are women.

Competition at the quadrennial National Games is intense, since a strong performance can lead to a place on the national team.

Past years have produced a string of scandals, from doping to sabotage and on-court cheating, and this year has been little different.

China's national teams have taken a zero-tolerance stance on doping, but provincial teams are considered more susceptible because coaches are eager for the cash and promotions that come with strong performances by their athletes.