DOPE GLORY
DRUGS cheat athlete Justin Gatlin has sparked calls for lifetime bans for doping after beating the legendary Usain Bolt in their 100m sprint showdown in London.
It is not a comfortable journey for me. It is not the perfect script LORD COE ON JUSTIN GATLIN WINNING GOLD MEDAL IN LONDON
Gatlin was booed last night at the World Championships medal ceremony. He got the same hostile reception when he won the race on Saturday.
His victory has been described as the “worst possible result for athletics”.
In stark contrast, British star Jessica Ennis-Hill was cheered wildly last night when she was presented with the gold medal that had been denied her in 2011 by a Russian drugs cheat.
Gatlin, who has served two bans in the sport, looked upset on the podium as he was booed again. But the American was soon smiling.
He had faced an effective life ban after the second drugs offence – testing positive for testosterone in 2006.
The suspension was set at eight years, then halved after a court battle. Lord Seb Coe, president of the Interna- tional Association of Athletics Federations, backs the move for cheats like Gatlin to be kicked out for life.
Lord Coe said: “There have been two bans in the past, one which got watered down which made it very difficult. The second – eight-year – ban would have in essence been a life ban. We lost that.
“It is not a comfortable journey for me. It is not the perfect script.”
Gatlin, who served a ban for one year after testing positive for an amphetamine in 2001, remains unapologetic about his return to the sport, saying: “I have served my time.”
He remains a big star in the US, with plans to turn his life into a movie.
Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Bolt received a huge ovation as he collected his bronze last night, waving and doing his trademark lightning pose as he left the podium.
The Jamaican did not put his arm around Gatlin when the American beckoned him over for a photo. But Bolt did