Gatlin Tests Positive

[ocelot]

Professed drug-free sprinter Justin Gatlin tests positive for testosterone

29 Jul, 6:58 PM

(AP) - Reigning Olympic and world 100-metre champion Justin Gatlin said Saturday he has been informed that he tested positive for testosterone or its precursors, the same positive test that has thrown Floyd Landis' victory at the Tour de France into question.

Gatlin, who positioned himself as a leader in trying to prove track and field is a clean sport, said in a statement released through his publicist that the United States Anti-Doping Agency informed him of the test taken after a relay race in Kansas in April.

"I cannot account for these results, because I have never knowingly used any banned substance or authorized anyone else to administer such a substance to me," Gatlin said. "In the course of my entire professional career, I have been tested more than 100 times. ... All of the tests this season, including the out-of-competition and in-competition tests conducted just before and after the race in Kansas, were negative."

Gatlin, the co-world record holder with Jamaica's Asafa Powell in the 100, is coached by Trevor Graham, whose former pupils include Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones, both of whom have both been prominently mentioned in the BALCO steroids investigation. Several athletes coached by Graham have been suspended or banned for doping.

Gatlin's revelation came just days after Landis tested positive for a testosterone imbalance after his stirring comeback victory at the Tour de France. Landis claims his body's natural metabolism caused the result.

One of the loudest voices in the quest to clean up his sport, Gatlin he was "particularly sensitive to this issue" because he tested positive in college for a banned substance contained in Adderall, which he took to calm attention deficit disorder. He served a two-year ban in international competition after that infraction, meaning another positive test could result in a lifetime ban.

"That experience made me even more vigilant to make certain that I not come into contact with any banned substance for any reason whatsoever, because any additional anti-doping rule offence could mean a lifetime ban from the sport that I love," Gatlin said.


Asked about Gatlin's statement, USADA spokesman Carla O'Connell did not confirm knowledge of the test.

Later, USADA CEO Terry Madden released a statement that made no mention of Gatlin.

"USADA will not comment on the facts of any active case since the rules we follow allow for a full and fair process prior to the details of any case being made public," Madden said. "Anyone accused of a doping violation has a right to have his or her case determined on the evidence through the established process and not on any other basis."

USA Track and Field, however, acknowledged Gatlin's statement.

"USA Track & Field is gravely concerned that Justin Gatlin has tested positive for banned substances," USATF executive director Craig Masback said in a statement on the federation's website. "Justin has been one of the most visible spokespersons for winning with integrity in the sport of track and field, and throughout his career he has made clear his willingness to take responsibility for his actions."

[ocelot]

What's going on? All these professed drug-free athletes are testing positive for testosterone. I'm starting to wonder to think there's something going on with the test for testosterone.

[achebeautiful]

I agree Leona. That is what I meant in the post about Landis regarding who the real 'cheaters' are. I'm not suggesting that the officials are purposely cheating, but rather saying that once an 'official' claim is made publicly that an athlete tested positive, that athlete's reputation is tainted whether innocent or not. In that regard, the athlete is the one who winds up cheated, and not the other way around. If that is not enough, the sport too becomes tainted and its reputation ruined.

I hope that the athlete's in question are found to be innocent, and proper measures are taken to restore any damage done if so.

[ocelot]

Gatlin test sample immediately received more advanced analysis
Philip Hersh

July 31, 2006 5:05 PM

The urine sample analysis that found reigning Olympic 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin positive for the steroid testosterone did not follow the traditional path but went directly to the more sophisticated method of testing used in such cases, the Chicago Tribune has learned.

That procedure is becoming more common, even though the more advanced analysis costs up to $500 per test and is much more labor-intensive.

Most testosterone positives still are determined by examining the ratio of testosterone to another naturally produced hormone, epitestosterone. If that ratio exceeds 4-1, some anti-doping agencies turn to carbon isotope (CIR) analysis, which detects the presence of synthetic testosterone.

Either a T/E ratio above 4-1 or a positive carbon isotope result can be used as evidence of doping.

In Gatlin's case, the lab testing the urine sample taken from him April 22 at the Kansas Relays was asked to go immediately to CIR analysis. The lab was unaware of whose urine it was analyzing, and samples taken from other athletes at the Kansas Relays likely were treated the same way.

CIR analysis measures the ratio of carbon 13 isotopes to carbon 12 isotopes. Carbon 13 is affected by testosterone derived synthetically from plants.

The analysis of Gatlin's ''A'' and ''B'' samples showed evidence of 5-alpha androstandiol and 5-beta androstandiol, among the metabolites of testosterone.

Gatlin, 24, of Raleigh, N.C., said he tested positive for the presence of ''testosterone or its precursors.'' Precursors metabolize into testosterone, and they include drugs like DHEA and androstenedione, the latter of which former home-run king Mark McGwire admitted to using.

Gatlin, who faces a lifetime ban from his sport because of a previous doping violation for a stimulant, said he never knowingly used testosterone.

The sprinter's coach, Trevor Graham, told The Washington Post and the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport that a masseur sabotaged Gatlin by rubbing him with a testosterone cream in Kansas.

''Trevor is not speaking on behalf of Justin,'' said Cameron Myler, Gatlin's attorney.

Phone calls to Graham, the masseur and the masseur's attorney were not returned.

Anti-doping experts said it is plausible that a single application of a testosterone cream could trigger a positive carbon isotope result.

Among the revelations in the BALCO doping scandal was how athletes were using a cream containing both testosterone and epitestosterone to get desired performance-enhancing effects without an elevated T/E ratio. That testosterone still would be detected by CIR testing.

Gatlin can present any evidence he has of sabotage to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency review board. It acts like a grand jury but reviews only documents to determine whether an athlete is ''indicted'' for doping. The athlete then can appeal and initiate a hearing process that can include live testimony.

In the other major current testosterone doping case, Tour de France champion Floyd Landis has formally asked for analysis of his ''B'' sample, which could occur this week. Landis was found to have a T/E ratio of 11-1 in the ''A'' sample, and the French newspaper L'Equipe reported his CIR test also was positive.


www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=SPORTS&ID=564780095090589700

[ocelot]

Here's an interesting read about 10 of the biggest doping/drug scandals in sports:

www.cbc.ca/sports/photoessay/top10-doping/index.html

[ocelot]

Top 10
Notable doping excuses
Nobody, it seems, 'knowingly' takes banned substances. From too much sex to too much veal, here are some of sports history's best doping explanations
Last Updated Mon., July 31 2006
Dan Tavares & Andrew Lundy, CBC Sports
Sprinter JUSTIN GATLIN: The old masseuse excuse
Justin Gatlin has always been an ardent advocate of drug-free sport, so it came as a big surprise when the reigning 100-metre champion tested positive for testosterone.

When asked to explain the failed test, Trevor Graham, Gatlin's coach, insisted it was a setup. Graham told the Washington Post that a masseuse with a grudge rubbed a testosterone cream into Gatlin's legs. Gatlin, according to Graham, believed the "cream" was nothing but harmless lotion. Coincidentally, Graham was a key figure in the downfall of the BALCO steroid-distribution ring. One of BALCO's chief products was "The Cream," a steroid balm.



Cyclist FLOYD LANDIS: Real men wear yellow
Floyd Landis claims his only crime against sport is being too much man. Just days after his remarkable victory in the Tour de France, it was revealed that Landis had tested positive for elevated levels of the male hormone testosterone.

In a misty-eyed media address, Landis claimed the positive test couldn't be helped; he was just built that way. The American cyclist argued that his freakishly high testosterone levels were natural and asked the media not to judge him.



Sprinter BEN JOHNSON: Admitted Cheetah
Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, touching off the greatest drug scandal in Canadian sports history. Tests administered after the record-breaking 100-metre dash showed Big Ben's urine was tainted with the powerful muscle-building drug stanozolol.

Johnson vehemently denied ever using steroids, and suggested the sasparilla-and-ginseng energy drink he took before his race was spiked. Eventually, Johnson did own up to taking juice and, ironically, he currently serves as the celebrity pitchman for the unfortunately-named ginseng beverage Cheetah.



Snowboarder ROSS REBAGLIATI: Up in Smoke
In the winter of 1998 Canada's Ross Regabliati was stripped of his Olympic gold medal after a drug test found traces of THC - the chemical in marijuana that makes you feel good - in the snowboarder's urine.

In a defence that would have made Bill Clinton proud, Regabliati claimed the drug traces came from second-hand smoke he consumed while partying with marijuana puffing buddies during a pre-Olympic shindig in Whistler, B.C. After much kerfuffle, Regabliati did get his medal back. He also promised to "change his lifestyle" and wear "a gas mask" to future parties.



Tennis player PETR KORDA: Evil Veal
Petr Korda has a message for athletes: fear the cows. Just months after winning the Australian Open in 1998, Korda tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone after a match at Wimbledon. The Czech tennis player claimed he failed the test because he had eaten too much nandrolone-fattened veal.

Tennis officials said Korda's claim was a load of bull, pointing out that Korda would have to eat 40 calves a day for 20 years to achieve such high levels of nandrolone in his body. Korda isn't the only athlete to blame the bovines. Bobsledder Lenny Paul also fingered the steroid-fed beef in his spaghetti sauce when asked to explain a failed drug test.



High jumper JAVIER SOTOMAYOR: Nailed by the Mob
It has to rank as the highest profile defence of doping in sports history. In 1999, Cuban high jumper Javier Sotomayor was stripped of his Pan-Am Games gold after testing positive for cocaine. None other than his country's president, Fidel Castro, rose to his defence. And what a defence.

In front of a live TV audience, a furious Castro charged the positive test was "a war against us" possibly committed by "professionals of counter-revolution and crime.'' Who exactly, did El Caballo mean? Why, the "well-known Cuban-American mafia," of course.



Runner DIETER BAUMANN: Minty-fresh 'roids
A top long-distance runner in the 1980s and '90s, Baumann lost his bid for gold at the Sydney Olympics because he cared too much about his pearly whites. The German track star tested positive for the steroid nandrolone in 1999 and was subsequently banned for two years, despite Baumann's claim it was his toothpaste's fault.

Or rather, he was the victim of a conspiracy to oust him from the sport by spiking his toothpaste with huge amounts of steroids. Germany's athletics federation exonerated the runner, even though investigators found no evidence to back up his claim.



Cross-country skier LARISSA LAZUTINA: What are little girls made of?
Call it the Landis defence in reverse. In the wake of the Salt Lake City Olympics, Russian cross-country skier Larissa Lazutina lost her gold medal when high levels of EPO, which boosts endurance, were found in her system. Now, how would that get into her bloodstream?

"For many years, I've been taking this blood test and I've never had problems," she said. "I put it down to female physiology ..." The IOC wasn't convinced, and eventually awarded her gold to Canada's Beckie Scott.


Sprinter DENNIS MITCHELL: a.k.a. Dr. Feelgood
One sleepless night, five beers, four bouts of sex: why doesn't every athlete use this defence?

Mitchell, one of the best-known U.S. sprinters of the 1990s, was nailed for excessively high levels of testosterone in 1998, but said that was caused by a long night of horizontally jogging with his wife, fuelled by the magic of five beers, on the eve of the test. Good enough for us, declared the U.S. Track and Field Association, which cleared Mitchell only to have that ruling overturned by track and field's international body.


Cyclist TYLER HAMILTON: No, the other Tyler Hamilton
American cycling champion Tyler Hamilton was a poster boy for clean competition. That is, until he was caught for blood doping in 2004 and slapped with a two-year suspension. But doping -- transfusing someone else's oxygen-rich blood -- isn't something he'd ever do, Hamilton maintained in his appeal. It must have been his "vanishing twin."

Hamilton said the foreign blood cells anti-doping officials detected maybe came from a twin that died in utero, or maybe from some of his mother's blood that was mixed when he was a fetus. Maybe not, said an arbitration panel, which upheld his ban.