January 12, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
· Filed under Sport
I feel very disappointed to hear that another talented sprinter falls into the doping case. I can hardly believe that the former Olympic 100m champ is a drug user. For sports lovers, especially for those interested in track and field, Justin Gatlin is beyond all doubts a gifted sprinter, his Olympic 100m final time is the second fastest in Olympic history, and his fastest recorded 200m time of 19.86 seconds is the fastest mark for a junior (under 20) athlete. I have paid special attention to him since the 2004 Athens Olympics when he won the gold medal in the 100m dash, and then he became the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki.
Gatlin tested positive for excessive testosterone at the Kansas Relays in April 2006. It was his second doping offense. Gatlin tested positive for amphetamines in 2001, nevertheless Gatlin had taken medication for attention deficit disorder since childhood. He stopped taking the medication three days before the competition, but small amounts still were detected. An arbitration panel in the 2001 case determined Gatlin did not attempt to cheat. His attorney Collins had argued that Gatlin unknowingly had a testosterone cream applied to him by a disgruntled massage therapist, who repeatedly has denied the allegations. Gatlin also said he received an injection of what supposedly was vitamin B-12 from Randall Evans, an assistant to coach Trevor Graham, in the weeks leading up to the Kansas competition.
The four-year doping suspension would prevent him from defending his 100m title at the Beijing Olympics and he is not eligible to run until may 25,2010.When an athlete is accused for doping abuse, he or she will tend to find different excuses in order to show that he or she is innocent. Some may be honest, but some may not. At this moment, it is hard for our fans to tell between truth and lies. For my part, I do hold the belief that most athletes are running with their heart and soul. However, as more and more doping offenses emerge to the public, I feel confused and my belief begins to waver. If all the athletes are willing to win at any cost and try every means to search for the competitive edge, what the sports world will be. If the model for the ideal life is a cheater, the meaning to people’s lives and the sense of groundness will be eroded. Therefore I would rather to believe our icons and to listen to their responses and voices, and maybe we can grasp the glimmer of hope. And when it comes to Gatlin’s case, I can not say whether he is innocent or not, whether the positive drug test was a result of sabotage or not. What we can do is to wait and see.
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