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 The American, who has served two doping bans but is currently the
world's fastest man, said he had planned to headline the 100 meters
event at Wednesday's meeting despite slight injury concerns but was
told he was not wanted.
However, organizers of the meeting in the Bird's Nest Stadium
ignored repeated requests for a response to Gatlin's claims, leaving
no obvious explanation as to why they would want him to leave a
meeting where he was the star attraction.
Asked whether the sudden departure may have been linked to his
controversial reputation or any fresh doping allegation, the
sprinter's manager Renaldo Nehemiah said: "No, it has nothing to do
with that. No, this is because they think he is injured and they
don't want him here if he's injured."
Gatlin, who had ran the fastest 100 meters of his life and the
quickest in the world this year at 9.74 seconds in Doha on Friday,
told reporters as he left for the airport to fly home to Florida
that he was "upset" by the lack of respect shown to him.
Nehemiah said he had been told by organizers the sprinter would have
to pay for all his team's travel and hotel costs, amounting to
nearly $12,000, and would not receive his appearance fee.
Former hurdling great Nehemiah added that he would be taking up the
matter with the International Association of Athletics Federations.
(IAAF).
Gatlin, who had flown from Doha straight to Beijing on Saturday,
said he had initially told organizers that he had suffered cramping
in a tight hamstring and dehydration following the flight and was
not sure about his fitness to compete.
HAPPY TO STAY
"I'm upset. I'm the kind of guy who, regardless of whether you think
I'm a good or a bad guy, I go off respect and I had enough respect
to tell the organizers as soon as I arrived how I felt going into
this race," he said.
Yet after coming through a training session on Monday, he felt
confident he would be fit to compete at a meeting where he has
starred before.
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"I was happy to stay. I'm fit and ready to run. I was cramping a lot
after the fastest my body has ever run," Gatlin said.
"They didn't have any respect for me so they said 'you better leave'
and they kicked me out. It makes no sense."
The sprinter, who has become a polarizing figure in the sport after
his drugs bans, was clearly bewildered and angry as he left for
Beijing airport with his physiotherapist.
"I thought I was competing. I ran the fastest time by anyone since
2012 in Doha and my body was a little whacked. I had respect for the
organizers telling them that I felt dehydrated but they didn't have
any respect for me," he added.
"It's crazy. I have no idea what they were thinking. I think they
thought I wasn't man enough and I might pull up in the race, or not
finish it and then still ask for money.
"But I'm not a man like that. I'm not the kind of guy to cheat
people of their money or let the fans down... that's not what I do.
"I'd have run 9.8, 9.7 seconds here. That's what I'm trained to do,
to put on a great show."
Gatlin promised he would be back to compete in Prefontaine Classic
meeting in Eugene on May 30, declaring: "I'm going to drop a bomb
out there."
(Reporting by Ian Chadband; Editing by John O'Brien)
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