GAT: I’M NO DOPE

American sprinter sacks coach over drug claim and insists he’s clean

JUSTIN GATLIN fired his coach yesterday and insisted he does not use performance-enhancing drugs.

The world 100metres champion was fast out of the blocks in an effort to distance himself from allegations made against coach Dennis Mitchell and Robert Wagner, an agent with whom he has been linked.

It was claimed Wagner offered to “illicitly supply performanceenhancing drugs” to undercover reporters working for the Daily Telegraph and alleged Gatlin had himself been taking PEDS.

It was further claimed Mitchell said athletes are able to get away with doping because the drugs they use cannot be detected in tests.

Gatlin has served two doping bans and as two anti-doping agencies began investigating allegations which IAAF president Sebastian Coe termed “extremely serious”, he took to Instagram to insist: “I am not using and have not used PEDS (performance enhancing drugs).

“I was shocked and surprised to learn that my coach would have anything to do with even the appearance of these current accusations. I fired him as soon as I found out about this.”

This is the same Mitchell who while an athlete was banned for two years for a failed drugs test in 1998 which showed high levels of testosterone.

His defence was he had drunk five bottles of beer and had sex with his wife “at least four times

. . . it was her birthday, the lady deserved a treat”.

Wagner claimed yesterday he was just trying to impress the reporters. “It was just big talk

– I didn’t actually source or supply the substances the reporters asked for but stupidly claimed I could,” the Us-based Austrian said.

“I apologise to Mr Gatlin, his management and family for saying completely false things about him and I apologise to other completely innocent athletes also wrongly implicated by my words.”

Wagner said he reported his meeting with the reporters to the Athletics Integrity Unit, an antidoping and corruption body set up by the sport’s governing body the IAAF a month ago, and will help the investigation it has started “in every way I can”.

Gatlin’s reputation has never recovered from doping bans in 2001 and 2006. In August he dethroned Usain Bolt to take the world 100m crown in London, a win greeted by boos ringing out around the Olympic Stadium.