Two-times banned 37-year-old Justin Gatlin ran a 9.87 in the Diamond League

© Copyright – 2019 – Athletics Illustrated

World Athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) with its shiny new brand and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and their newer Athletics Integrity Unity (AIU) should want to usher in the new era of global athletics management by doing something about Justin Gatlin.

But can they? Will the long arm of the law catch up to him again? Is he that good at micro-dosing?

At this point, there is no proof that he continues to cheat visa vie taking performance-enhancing drugs. But his display during the Diamond League’s Prefontaine Classic at Stanford University this weekend was enough to raise the hair on one’s neck.

How can a 37-year-old sprinter run 100-metres in the time of 9.87?

Gatlin was banned from competing between 2006 and 2010 by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for failing a drug test, twice. He tested positive for testosterone.

He is currently, the World Champion over 100-metres and should be seeking to defend his title at the 2019 Doha, Qatar World Athletics Championships that start on Sept. 27.

In 2001, Gatlin was banned from international competition for two years after testing positive for amphetamines. He appealed on the grounds that the positive test had been due to medication that he had been taking since his childhood. For this, he could earn a pass in anyone’s books. After all, it was a commonly – an all too commonly prescribed drug.

He apparently grew up with attention deficit disorder. He was reinstated.

In 2006, Gatlin told the media that he had been informed by the USADA that he had given a positive doping test in April the same year.

At the time he said, “I cannot account for these results, because I have never knowingly used any banned substance or authorized anyone to administer such a substance to me.”

Oh, come on.

His coach Trevor Graham has a long history of coaching cheats, apparently, up to eight or more athletes have tested positive for PEDs under his coaching.

In 2006, Gatlin was given an eight-year ban. He avoided a lifetime ban in exchange for his cooperation with the doping authorities, and because of the exceptional circumstances surrounding his first positive drug test.

He appealed and subsequently, an arbitration panel reduced it to four years in 2007.

But he continues to set the world on fire with his world-class performances.
At Pre on Sunday, he ran a season’s best performance and finished second to fellow American Christian Coleman with that 9.87, Coleman ran 9.81. The wind clock read -0.1. Third was Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain at 9.97.

Coleman’s performance was a world lead run and a season’s best for the 23-year-old.

The current world record remains at 9.58 from Jamaica’s Usain Bolt from 2009. Fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake owns the Diamond League record of 9.69 from 2012. The record at the Stanford track was a 9.99 by American Maurice Green.