A simple answer to the title would be “because I want to”, but I feel like that would render this post pointless so I have decided to explain my stance.
Whenever Justin Gatlin is discussed, everyone refers to him as a two-time drug cheat, which is factually incorrect. We all seem to have adopted this culture of regurgitation and it irritates me to my core because a simple Google search would stop you all from looking crazy.
Gatlin isn’t a two-time drug cheat because his first offence should not have been registered as one. He is a one-time drug cheat at best. I find the facts surrounding his 2001 case quite interesting so I’m going to share them with you to add context to my delicious agenda.
2001: The Facts
Whilst a Junior at the University of Tennessee, Gatlin tested positive for the stimulant Amphetamine. Under IAAF rules, Amphetamines are prohibited during competition and the positive samples were taken from the USATF Junior National Championships where IAAF rules apply. As a result, Gatlin was handed a 2-year ban. He was 19.
Gatlin chose to appeal the decision to the American Arbitration Association, who highlighted the following uncontested facts:
In 1991, when Gatlin was 9, he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and had been taking prescribed medication for the condition ever since
The drug prescribed to Gatlin by his Doctor to treat/control his ADD was called Adderall, which contains Amphetamine. Gatlin had disclosed his condition and medication to all the Doctors at Tennessee, which is consistent with the advice he was given by the Doping Agency (USADA)
At the time, Amphetamine was not prohibited outside of competition due to its medical purpose but athletes were required to stop using any ADD medication a few days prior to competing so that it can completely clear from their system
The Junior Championships took place on June 16th & 17th and Gatlin’s urine was tested on both days. Both samples contained small amounts of Amphetamine but his urine on the 17th contained less Amphetamine than the sample collected on the 16th. The decreasing amount supported Gatlin’s claim that he had stopped taking his medication before the Championships
The correct protocol is to apply for a medical exemption from IAAF but Gatlin did not do this. Again, I’d like to remind you all that he was 19. The American Arbitration Association Panel said Gatlin was “certainly not a doper” and that his case should be referred to as a “paperwork violation” as opposed to a “doping violation”. Below is an extract from the official documentation they published on the case:
Following this, IAAF agreed to the early reinstatement of Gatlin. They said that although they believed him to have a medical condition, they would still count this as his first offence which I think makes absolutely no sense.
Anyway, this is why I do not refer to Gatlin as a two-time drug cheat.
Now, moving onto the boo’s
The boo’s Gatlin has been subjected to recently have been so hard to watch. Rio is probably the first time I had ever heard anyone get boo’d and I’ve been watching Athletics all my life. I mean, Gatlin returned to Athletics in 2010 and has since competed at the 2012 Olympics, 2013 World Champs and 2015 World Champs and was not boo’d at any of these events. So, what has changed? I’ll tell you. Justin Gatlin proved himself to be a legit Gold Medal contender against Usain Bolt in 2016, and that was a problem. From there, the British Media (my agenda has landed) decided to market Rio as “good vs. evil”, with Bolt being the hero that would save Athletics against its horrible villain. It was so pathetic. You literally had Steve bloody Cram waiting until Gatlin graced the track to tell us how “disgraceful” the Sport was. And stinkin’ Gabby Logan who made sure to cut Michael Johnson off whenever he spoke against vilifying one man in a pool of dopers. Meanwhile, they continue to champion their precious Mo Farah whose coach is the biggest drug lord in Athletics.
All of this negativity was brought into the World Championships and I’ve honestly never rolled my eyes more than I did last night. On a night that was meant to focus on the absolute greatness that is Usain Bolt, everyone chose to focus on Gatlin’s past. Then you’ve got Darren Campbell who started an online campaign this morning for us to boycott the 100m Medal Ceremony? Really? This is the same man who stood beside Dwain Chambers on the podium when Great Britain won the 4x100m Championships after his return from a drug ban. Why didn’t you boycott your own mate?
Listen, if you all want to boo Gatlin, go right ahead, but you need to be booing every single athlete that has ever received a doping ban. And you need to do it with full conviction, none of that half-hearted stuff. That means the following need to get boo’d:
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Veronica Campbell Brown
LaShawn Merritt
Asafa Powell
Tyson Gay
Mike Rodgers
Yohan Blake
Amantle Montsho
Luvo Manyonga (I felt really bad typing this one, sorry)
Sherone Simpson
Christine Ohuruogu
Inika McPherson
Kelly-Ann Baptiste
Wallace Spearmon
Brianna Rollins
Femi Ogunode
I’m not trying to hear back story on their offenses either, because no one seems to give a toss when it’s Gatlin. Show me some consistency. Boo all or boo none.
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