Justin Gatlin claims he is innocent: fires his coach
Justin Gatlin, the American sprinter who has served two suspentions for testing positive for a banned substance and continues to dominate the sprinting world well into his 30’s has just fired his coach, also disgraced drug cheat Dennis Mitchell.
Gatlin, says he is “shocked” upon finding out that anti-doping officials have launched an investigation into not only his coach, but his agent as well.
The investigation is being jointly run by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA))
“Investigations stemming from tips and whistleblowers play a critical role in anti-doping efforts,” Usada said in a statement. “We are presently co-ordinating with the Athletics Integrity Unit in order to investigate these claims fully.
“As with all investigations, we encourage individuals with information to come forward as an important tool to help protect clean athletes. Importantly, individuals are innocent unless and until the established process determines otherwise. It’s only fair to let due process occur before jumping to any conclusions.”
Jumping to conclusions is an easy thing to do when Justin Gatlin is concerned, as he has already been suspended twice for cheating. Many feel that he should have received a lifetime ban the last time he was caught.
“These allegations are very serious,” said Brett Clothier, head of the AIU, “and strike at the heart of the integrity of athletics.”
IAAF President Sebastian Coe said the allegations are “extremely serious.”
Undercover
In an under cover operation, Wagner allegedly offered performance enhancing drugs to a reporter from the Telegraph and if that is not enough, he implied that all top level American sprinters are doping.
The reporter alleges that he was told that he could be given drugs that could be gotten using fake prescriptions and shipped across the border into the United States.
According to the Telegraph, Gatlin’s now former coach disgraced sprinter Dennis Mitchell, says that American sprinters are able to dope because there are no tests presently that exist that can discover what the athletes are taking.
Mitchell has denied saying this: In a statement to the Telegraph, Mitchell said: “I never suggested in any way that any of my current athletes used any banned substances or that I was
familiar with training any of my current athletes with those substances.”
Justin Gatlin says he is clean
Taking to Instagram, Gatlin, 35, denies ever taking performance enhancing drugs, a fact that we know is 100 percent bull.
He also denied knowing that his coach was such a player when it came to the world of doping and says he fired him as soon as he found this out.
“I was shocked and surprised to learn that my coach would have anything to do with even the appearance of these current accusations,” Gatlin wrote in a post on his Instagram account . “I fired him as soon as I found out about this.”
He added: “All legal options are on the table as I will not allow others to lie about me like this.”
Once a cheater, always a cheater
Gatlin, has a cloud of suspicion hanging over him wherever and whenever he competes. Some track and field competition directors have even banned him from competing at their events due to his two previous positive drug tests.
Gatlin first tested positive for a banned substance back in 2001 while attending the University of Tennessee, and then again in 2006. In both cases, he has plead innocent.
As a result, Gatlin is now booed wherever he goes, and whenever he competes, there is always chatter in the media pertaining to the likelyhood of a sprinter, well past his prime age for fast times being able to run as fast as he still does.
Just this past August, Gatlin took down Usain Bolt, the most decorated Olympic sprinter in world history, in Bolt’s final individual race of his career.
Aside from winning gold in the 100 meter sprint in Athens back in 2004, Gatlin has won bronze at the 2012 Games, bronze in the 200 meters at the 2004 Games and gold and silver medals in the 4x100m relay.
The World Anti Doping Agency, (WADA) says that they will be monitoring this case very, very closely.
“I hope that first of all that the journalists from the Telegraph will make their information available to the investigators. We will monitor and offer assistance where we can,” said Wada president Sir Craig Reedie.
