Print and Go Back ESPN.com: TrackandField Saturday, July 29, 2006 Olympic champ Gatlin says he failed drug test in April ESPN.com news services Reigning Olympic and world 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin said Saturday he has been informed that he tested positive for testosterone or its precursors. "I have been informed by the United States Anti-doping Agency that after a relay race I ran in Kansas City on April 22, I tested positive for 'testosterone or its precursors,'" Gatlin said in a statement. Gatlin's attorney, Cameron Myler, told Reuters in a telephone call from New York, "It is unfortunate, but it is true." Myler also confirmed that the 24-year-old Gatlin's "B" sample was tested in July and again showed an unusually high level of testosterone. The sprinter now faces a lifetime ban from the sport. Gatlin positioned himself as a leader in trying to prove track and field is a clean sport. "I cannot account for these results, because I have never knowingly used any banned substance or authorized anyone else to administer such a substance to me," Gatlin said. "In the course of my entire professional career, I have been tested more than 100 times. ... All of the tests this season, including the out-of-competition and in-competition tests conducted just before and after the race in Kansas, were negative." Gatlin, the co-world record holder with Jamaica's Asafa Powell at 100 meters, is coached by Trevor Graham, whose former pupils include Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones, both of whom have both been prominently mentioned in the BALCO steroids investigation. Several athletes coached by Graham have been suspended or banned for doping. Gatlin said he was "particularly sensitive to this issue" because he tested positive in college for a banned substance contained in Adderall, which he took to calm attention deficit disorder. He served a two-year ban in international competition after that infraction, meaning another positive test could result in a lifetime ban. "That experience made me even more vigilant to make certain that I not come into contact with any banned substance for any reason whatsoever, because any additional anti-doping rule offense could mean a lifetime ban from the sport that I love," Gatlin said. Asked about Gatlin's statement, USADA spokesman Carla O'Connell did not confirm knowledge of the tests. Later, USADA CEO Terry Madden released a statement that made no mention of Gatlin. "USADA will not comment on the facts of any active case since the rules we follow allow for a full and fair process prior to the details of any case being made public," Madden said. "Anyone accused of a doping violation has a right to have his or her case determined on the evidence through the established process and not on any other basis." USA Track and Field, however, acknowledged Gatlin's statement. "USA Track & Field is gravely concerned that Justin Gatlin has tested positive for banned substances," USATF executive director Craig Masback said in a statement on the federation's Web site. "Justin has been one of the most visible spokespersons for winning with integrity in the sport of track and field, and throughout his career he has made clear his willingness to take responsibility for his actions."
Why would a guy risk a lifetime ban for an obscure relay race? Three possible explanations: 1. He was using something illegal and somehow his dosage was screwed up; 2. His sample was contaminated, deliberately or not; 3. He had some endocrinological issue that caused the high reading. Regarding point 3, I heard an explanation of the testosterone test used for cycling. Apparently it is not a simple measurement of testosterone levels, since different people could have widely varying natural levels. Instead, it measures the ratio of two types of testosterone. The numerator is the performance enhancing testosterone, the denominator is some other variety of testosterone. With the Landis test, it is being claimed that he took medicine for his hip that might have suppressed the denominator and thus returned a failed test. For someone who is not an expert, it is impossible to make an informed judgment.
I was watching ESPN the other night and they showed a photo of Jerry Porter, a wide reciever for the Raiders, when he showed up for camp. He was so buff and cut he looked like he was ready for the Mr. Universe contest. I'd like to see his test. Prominent chemists have stated that it is relatively easy to come up with undetectable artifical steroids. Barry Bonds never failed a test. Neither did Marion Jones.