Final shot
American sprinter competing in last Olympics in Rio
EUGENE, Ore. — Sprinter Tyson Gay has a new coach and a longer beard to go with a new attitude: He doesn’t really care what people think about him.
But behind that tough exterior masks the pain of having to hand back his only Olympic medal. A doping violation cost him and his relay teammates the silver medal from the 2012 London Games.
A career full of missed chances, close calls, untimely injuries and that stripped-away medal is nearing its end. The man who used to be considered the biggest threat to Usain Bolt now often is viewed as a bit player in the sprint game. That’s fine with him, the American 100-meter record holder insists. He’s making one final run at the Olympics, doing it for himself, his family, his fans and nobody else.
“This could restore things for me in my heart,” Gay said on the eve of the preliminaries for the 100 meters at the Olympic trials. “I lost something when I gave that medal back. The people closest to me, they know how bad I want that medal. Anyone on the outside? I don’t really care.”
For the first time in a while, the 33-year-old Gay has no pains. Well, maybe a little knee soreness, but that’s about it, as he tries to earn a spot in Rio in the 100 and 200. Since becoming the American record holder in 2009, Gay’s body has betrayed him. He’s gone through groin and hip surgeries through the years to keep him on the track.
He thinks he can keep up with the likes of Justin Gatlin, who is a few months older than him, and Trayvon Bromell, the up-and-comer in the field.
“I’m considered the old one,” Gay said. “I’m going to go out there and give it my best, let it all hang.”
He’s accepted his past doping problem will be part of the permanent record. Gay received a one-year ban in 2013 for testing positive for a steroid precursor DHEA — a penalty that was reduced because he provided information that led to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s case against his former coach, Jon Drummond.
“The key thing to that is putting the past in the past and showing people you can always persevere, especially when you make mistakes in life,” said Gay, who is the second-fastest man in history, thanks to his 9.69-second 100 at a 2009 meet in Shanghai (Bolt’s world record is 9.58 and Yohan Blake tied Gay’s mark in 2012). “I don’t get a lot of hate mail, or any of that type of thing. (Fans) allow me to forget about it for the most part.”
But Bolt called him out, intimating Gay should’ve been suspended for life. Although Gatlin has a doping past as well, Bolt has been harsher toward Gay, possibly because he was Bolt’s biggest rival for so many years. It doesn’t bother Gay. “USADA did their investigation and understood everything wasn’t intentional,” Gay said. “But (Bolt) is entitled to his own opinion. I’m moving forward, man.”