© Copyright – 2016 – Athletics Illustrated
While traditional media reports on and social media gushes over Justin Gatlin continuing his winning ways during the 2016 US Olympic Trials, I would like to take this opportunity to cast a dark pall over the whole affair.
He, a twice-banned drug cheat, displays no humility as he gets faster while aging. It’s not the athleticism that attracts the hordes, it’s the freak show nature of it all, he is akin to a circus clown rolling around in a barrel.
Let’s all take a moment to remember that in 2001 he was banned from international competition for two years after testing positive for amphetamines.
At the time he blamed his Attention Deficit Disorder and life-long reliance on medication to keep him in-check. Likely used for the purpose of handling withering madness amid the chaos created by social order.
So really it is society’s fault. Why not? We are all to blame. Kumbaya.
In 2006, he again tested positive for a banned substance. This time it wasn’t an amphetamine used for the purpose of controlling his A.D.D., but testosterone.
At that time, Gatlin was coached by the notorious Trevor Graham, he who had eight athletes under his care test positive for banned substances. So Gatlin made the choice to get coaching from someone who coached eight dirty athletes. Nice call. Let’s assume it was his ADD helping him make decisions.
They claimed sabotage.
Then after what must have been a most intense crime scene investigation they figured out who done it. It was the massage therapist who had done it!
They blamed Christopher Whetstine for rubbing a cream containing testosterone onto Gatlin’s buttocks without his knowledge.
I don’t know about you, but if a fellow man is rubbing my buttocks, I would know about it while it was happening.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency suspended Gatlin for eight years, which was reduced to four years because he played paddy cake with USADA. He probably cried and honked on a whistle, hard.
That Trevor Graham though what a guy, he coached such noted dopers as Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery and his dealer was supposedly former Mexican discus thrower Angel Heredia, who was working undercover for the government and taped calls between himself and Graham. Graham said in court he had never met Heredia. Heredia produced a picture that conflicted with Graham’s story.
There were more than 100 calls between the two men between 1998 and 2000. That’s a lot of dialling the wrong number.
During his comeback, Gatlin came back with a vengeance. In 2012 he ran 9.79, a lifetime best. During 2014, at the age of 32 he ran faster yet, stopping the clock at 9.77. In 2015 he ran faster yet producing a 9.74. On July 3, 2016 at the age of 34, he ran 9.80.
Let’s put this into perspective.
The second fastest athlete, American Tyson Gay, was suspended in 2013 for testing positive for anabolic steroids and Oxilofrine. The third fastest all-time is Jamaican Yohan Blake, he tested positive for Methylxanthine in 2009. The fourth fastest was Jamaican Asafa Powell who was suspended for a “banned stimulant”. Gatlin is the fifth fastest at 9.74, while Jamaican Nesta Carter, the sixth fastest recently tested positive for Methylxanthine and the next fastest was Ben Johnson at 9.79 for Stanazolol – you know, the guy with the yellowy eyes and giant face, who casually looked around as he made a mockery of the 100-metre final event during the 1988 Olympics.
Johnson is a martyr and will never live it down; meanwhile Gatlin is continuing to run around with his chin up.
Gatlin: At least display some humility, man.
