No matter how I slice the data, Justin Gatlin's recent performances are unprecedented. What does that mean? One thing for sure I know is that it means lots of discussion and debate. Head over to Sporting Intelligence to read the whole thing, and if you feel inclined, feel free to return here add your two cents in the comments.
The fact that he is passing the doping test should alarm everyone interested in protecting the integrity of the sport, because if he's testing clean while on substances, others are, too. It's non-controversially easier to assume that world-class athletes are drugged-up and hopped-on on substances, legal and illegal, than to assume that they are not. However, to have a relative senior citizen unprecedentedly dashing about belies the drug-free image everyone wants the 100m to project. It would be best for every sprinter for Gatlin to be caught, quickly.
ReplyDeleteOut of interest, was Gatlin tested throughout his 4-year stint banned from the sport? You could make the case that, unfettered, he went to town on training and drugs in those years.