U.S. swimmer, supplement firm countersue

DALLAS, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- World-class U.S. swimmer Jessica Hardy is battling a Texas nutrition company over allegedly contaminated dietary supplements, documents show.

Hardy, a four-time world champion from Long Beach, Calif., and AdvoCare International of Carrollton, Texas, have filed lawsuits against each other. Hardy alleges AdvoCare cost her a spot on the Beijing Olympics U.S. women's swimming team because its supplements caused her to test positive for a banned drug, The Dallas Morning News reported Monday. The company, meanwhile, contends in U.S. District Court that Hardy hurt its business by making false claims against it.

One laboratory cited in the lawsuits says there was contamination in AdvoCare's supplements, while the other says there wasn't, the newspaper said.

At last summer's Olympics trials, Hardy, who attended the University of California at Berkeley for two years before turning professional, finished first in the 100-meter breaststroke, second in the 50-meter freestyle and fourth in the 100-meter freestyle, the Morning News said.