Justin Gatlin, drug cheat or one of the world’s greatest modern day sprinters?

Gatlin’s major crime was that he indeed was caught for illegal drug use when so many others were not, including in countries with far more relaxed or non-existent drug testing systems.

Despite the British public being one of the best informed about illegal drug use in sport, very little adverse reaction is evident towards other track stars that have won global medals from countries where adequate drug testing regimes are almost non-existent.

In February 2016, at a time when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) put Kenya on probation for failing to tackle PED use, despite over 40 Kenyan athletes testing positive since 2012, it was reported that Kenyan athletes were still being advised of drug tests a day or weeks before, thus allowing offending athletes not to turn up to testing times.   

In August 2017, an investigation of Ethiopia ’s lax drug testing regime found that reporters could buy the blood-boosting drug EPO freely without a prescription from a pharmacy across the road during the Ethiopian championships (May 2017); that data offered by Ethiopian drug testing authorities about the number of tests for the Ethiopian championships was dubious; and that a highly successful Ethiopian athlete admitted taking EPO before one of her biggest victories in Europe several years ago.

And relevant to the Gatlin story, with Jamaica having very few out-of-competition for six months before the 2012 Olympic Games, with blood tests only beginning in Jamaica during 2015, the International Olympic Committee  and WADA was accused of choosing to take no action over the presence of banned PEDs (including by male Jamaican sprinters) after reanalysis of samples from the 2008 Olympics.

While WADA stated that low levels of clenbuterol does result from the ingestion of contaminated meat, a former supplier of banned substances to top athletes (Angel Heredia) stated that Jamaican coaches had contacted him prior to the 2008 Olympic Games to enquire about whether clenbuterol was “good for sprinting”, and that he was “100 per cent” certain some Jamaican athletes used it at the Games.

Not surprisingly, while many in the London crowd targeted and booed Gatlin, preferring to assume innocence for all other champion competitors who had never been caught, others felt obliged to provide some sanity to events.

Immediately following the 100m final at the 2017 world championships with the crown booing Gatlin, Bolt stated of Gatlin “he is a great competitor. I’ve always said that about Justin Gatlin. You have to be at your best and I wasn’t and that’s what I respect about him because he competes and I really appreciate competing with him. “He’s an excellent person, as far as I’m concerned. He’s good at it and just a good person”.

Gatlin also indicated that Bolt immediately offered “congratulations” and stated “You don’t deserve all these boos”.

Gatlin’s legacy, while being remembered for being caught on illegal PEDs (notably testosterone or its precursor in 2006), should be one of considerable success and an immense determination that enabled him to win global championship medals over a fourteen year period.

To win a 100m global championship at the age of 35, against one of the greatest all-time sprinters (Usain Bolt) and a London crowd booing your mere presence, is an extraordinary sporting feat.