|
 There will be dozens of convicted former dopers in the world
championships -- with the top end of the 100 meters riddled with
them -- but Gatlin has a special place in the Hall of Shame by dint
of being the man who has been banned twice.
In normal circumstances that second positive test -- in 2006 --
would have earned him a lifetime ban but after he agreed to
co-operate with the anti-doping authorities that was cut to eight,
and then four years.
People were certainly unimpressed when he returned to the track with
sluggish performances but as his times fell, the opprobrium grew.
Now he will arrive in Beijing on the back of an astonishingly
dominant run, all the more astonishing for the fact that he is 33
and running faster times than when he won the Olympic and world
titles in 2004 and 2005.
Gatlin last tasted defeat over 100m in September 2013 and over 200
in May of the same year. Since then he is unbeaten in 27 races over
both distances.
He has run the four fastest times of the year for the 100m, with a
best of 9.74, and the two fastest 200s, peaking with 19.57 -- both
personal bests and his 100m time the best in the world for nearly
three years.
That all means he has a real chance of beating defending champion
Usain Bolt, who is racing against time to regain his best form after
a hip injury.
Their meetings will be the most anticipated races of the
championships and Gatlin, who has won only one of their seven 100m
head-to-heads, is as excited about them as the fans.
"Hopefully the Beijing 100m or 200m finals will be the right time
for us to be able to put on a spectacular show," he said recently.
"It's a great lead up to a really good story."
[to top of second column] |
Gatlin still refuses to consider himself a doper, arguing that his
first positive test for a stimulant was a result of medication he
had been using for years and maintaining that his second came
through a rogue masseur rubbing testosterone cream into his legs.
He does say though that it was the bans and his subsequent time away
from the track that have given him longevity as he now feels "26 or
27 years old".
Cheat or victim, Gatlin will nevertheless be widely perceived as the
cowboy in black when he faces down Bolt, held by many to be the
shining beacon of hope in a drug-ravaged sport.
"At the end of the day I have to get on the line, I have to get out
there and cross the finish line first and that's my job," says
Gatlin.
"What the critics say about me doesn't really bother me."
(Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
