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Landis, Gatlin Provide the Clincher in Doping War
By Vito Forlenza, Comcast.net Sports Editor
August 03, 2006
Now what? I, for one, am out of answers.
Because if I claimed to have seen this coming, I'd be lying.
At a time when athletes around the globe are under intense scrutiny for performance-enhancing drug use, when more and more are ensnarled in doping scandal after doping scandal, and when the fog of suspicion surrounding Barry Bonds' home run chase serves as the exemplar of how steroids in sports is viewed at home, Floyd Landis and Justin Gatlin decide to play chemist.
Unknowingly. Of course.
I was prepared for Bonds (as you may know). But Landis stunned me and Gatlin followed with the knockout blow. The Tour de France winner and the Olympic and world 100-meter champion. Both admitting their careers are in jeopardy because of positive drug tests.
What's next? An entire crop of 12-year-olds will be disqualified from the upcoming Little League World Series because of abnormal testosterone levels? Because that's what the sports world seems to be coming to.
If so, you'll probably tell me that I shouldn't be surprised. Even with Landis and Gatlin, you'll probably tell me that I shouldn't be surprised.
Both are associated with sports--and folks in those sports--that have been at the center of doping controversies for years. But that's exactly why I thought they'd be clean.
As they set out to prove their innocence, I have to ask: Are these guys nuts? I mean, seriously. Or are they just stupid.
Just days after he won the Tour de France in grand fashion, Landis learned he failed a drug test. His ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, which is essentially a natural but inactive steroid produced by the body, was too high.
Then, just days after that, Gatlin admitted he failed a test for "testosterone or its precursors" in April. In other words, before he tied Jamaican Asafa Powell's 100-meter world record in May.
Maybe, collectively, athletes think they can just wear us down. Maybe they want to shatter our expectations instead of building them up. Maybe it's working. Because the crazy thing is, I really wanted to believe their stories.
Maybe someday I can. That would mean that their implausible tales are true. Or at least not completely false.
Both face difficult campaigns, but Landis is in all-out crisis mode. Because Landis didn't just fail any drug test. Landis failed the drug test.
Landis failed the test he took immediately after his inexplicable comeback during the 17th stage, in which he vaulted from 11th place to third and gained eight minutes on the leader. In just 125 miles. A day after he bonked.
Landis, however, isn't just issuing the customary denial. He's provided three reasons of how his testosterone level could have been elevated. It's his way of trying to explain that he has no explanation.
First, he claimed that he normally has a high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in his body. For some crazy reason, though, it has never raised questions before. This from an athlete who has been tested regularly.
But Landis took it a step further, saying a cortisone shot he took for his ailing hip could be the culprit. Then, in an appeal to the everyday fan, he claimed the positive sample could have been the result of the beer and shots of whiskey he downed the night before--his way of coping with his Stage 16 disaster.
Yeah, that's probably it. I know I'm at my best after a night on the town.
The excuse from the Gatlin camp is stranger still. Yet, in a way, it actually sounds more believable than Landis'--even if Gatlin himself is distancing himself from the claim.
That's probably a good idea. The man offering the denial on Gatlin's behalf isn't exactly the cleanest coach in sports.
Trevor Graham, Gatlin's coach, has trained six track and field stars who failed drug tests. He also coached former 100-meter world record holder Tim Montgomery, who never failed a drug test but was banned from the sport because of his connection to BALCO.
Anyway, Graham says that a rogue massage therapist with a grudge against Gatlin rubbed an illegal cream on him during a therapy session. Predictably, the masseur in question denies the accusation.
At least that's one I've never heard before. Yet, it's also incriminating for both mentor and protege, showing just how much performance-enhancers are engrained in their culture.
Considering their ties to guilty parties, I figured both would be smart enough to realize they had little room for error. Guess that didn't faze them.
Two of Landis' Phonak teammates were among the 13 riders disqualified for this year's Tour because they were named in a Spanish doping investigation. And former Phonak member Tyler Hamilton is serving a two-year suspension for doping.
Landis appears to be next, saying he doesn't expect his "B" sample to clear his name. According to a report in The New York Times, it won't matter because the testosterone in his sample was synthetic, meaning that the body can't produce it naturally.
In addition to his association to Graham, Gatlin was suspended in 2001 after testing positive for amphetamine use. The result was later determined to be caused by a medication he was taking. The International Association of Athletics Federations granted him an early reinstatement but kept the suspension on his permanent record.
Gatlin hasn't spoken since issuing a statement acknowledging the failed test, which is a telling sign. But both his "A" and "B" samples came back positive. If confirmed, he'll be hit with a lifetime ban because it's his second offense.
But what does it all mean?
It means--once and for all, sadly but ultimately--that every single athlete of his era is a doping candidate. Every one is a potential cheat.
That's the conclusion you draw from this concurrence.
That's the conclusion you draw from Landis, the new face of American cycling with the inspiring back story of a determined rider raised a conservative Mennonite who at one time refused to consume even caffeine.
That's the conclusion you draw from Gatlin, the global track and field poster boy with the infectious smile and charisma of a true superstar who has continually campaigned against steroid use and touted himself as a clean competitor.
Meanwhile, two potential benefactors are also awaiting the results.
Second-place Tour finisher Oscar Pereiro of Spain would be declared the winner if Ladis is suspended.
Powell would own outright the title of "World's Fastest Man" if Gatlin is banned.
But even they lose in the end. Because while we hope they are clean, it's an assumption we just can't make ever again.
Were you surprised to learn of the allegations against Landis and Gatlin? How do you think this affects drugs in sports? Send your view to [email protected].
By Vito Forlenza, Comcast.net Sports Editor
August 03, 2006
Now what? I, for one, am out of answers.
Because if I claimed to have seen this coming, I'd be lying.
At a time when athletes around the globe are under intense scrutiny for performance-enhancing drug use, when more and more are ensnarled in doping scandal after doping scandal, and when the fog of suspicion surrounding Barry Bonds' home run chase serves as the exemplar of how steroids in sports is viewed at home, Floyd Landis and Justin Gatlin decide to play chemist.
Unknowingly. Of course.
I was prepared for Bonds (as you may know). But Landis stunned me and Gatlin followed with the knockout blow. The Tour de France winner and the Olympic and world 100-meter champion. Both admitting their careers are in jeopardy because of positive drug tests.
What's next? An entire crop of 12-year-olds will be disqualified from the upcoming Little League World Series because of abnormal testosterone levels? Because that's what the sports world seems to be coming to.
If so, you'll probably tell me that I shouldn't be surprised. Even with Landis and Gatlin, you'll probably tell me that I shouldn't be surprised.
Both are associated with sports--and folks in those sports--that have been at the center of doping controversies for years. But that's exactly why I thought they'd be clean.
As they set out to prove their innocence, I have to ask: Are these guys nuts? I mean, seriously. Or are they just stupid.
Just days after he won the Tour de France in grand fashion, Landis learned he failed a drug test. His ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, which is essentially a natural but inactive steroid produced by the body, was too high.
Then, just days after that, Gatlin admitted he failed a test for "testosterone or its precursors" in April. In other words, before he tied Jamaican Asafa Powell's 100-meter world record in May.
Maybe, collectively, athletes think they can just wear us down. Maybe they want to shatter our expectations instead of building them up. Maybe it's working. Because the crazy thing is, I really wanted to believe their stories.
Maybe someday I can. That would mean that their implausible tales are true. Or at least not completely false.
Both face difficult campaigns, but Landis is in all-out crisis mode. Because Landis didn't just fail any drug test. Landis failed the drug test.
Landis failed the test he took immediately after his inexplicable comeback during the 17th stage, in which he vaulted from 11th place to third and gained eight minutes on the leader. In just 125 miles. A day after he bonked.
Landis, however, isn't just issuing the customary denial. He's provided three reasons of how his testosterone level could have been elevated. It's his way of trying to explain that he has no explanation.
First, he claimed that he normally has a high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in his body. For some crazy reason, though, it has never raised questions before. This from an athlete who has been tested regularly.
But Landis took it a step further, saying a cortisone shot he took for his ailing hip could be the culprit. Then, in an appeal to the everyday fan, he claimed the positive sample could have been the result of the beer and shots of whiskey he downed the night before--his way of coping with his Stage 16 disaster.
Yeah, that's probably it. I know I'm at my best after a night on the town.
The excuse from the Gatlin camp is stranger still. Yet, in a way, it actually sounds more believable than Landis'--even if Gatlin himself is distancing himself from the claim.
That's probably a good idea. The man offering the denial on Gatlin's behalf isn't exactly the cleanest coach in sports.
Trevor Graham, Gatlin's coach, has trained six track and field stars who failed drug tests. He also coached former 100-meter world record holder Tim Montgomery, who never failed a drug test but was banned from the sport because of his connection to BALCO.
Anyway, Graham says that a rogue massage therapist with a grudge against Gatlin rubbed an illegal cream on him during a therapy session. Predictably, the masseur in question denies the accusation.
At least that's one I've never heard before. Yet, it's also incriminating for both mentor and protege, showing just how much performance-enhancers are engrained in their culture.
Considering their ties to guilty parties, I figured both would be smart enough to realize they had little room for error. Guess that didn't faze them.
Two of Landis' Phonak teammates were among the 13 riders disqualified for this year's Tour because they were named in a Spanish doping investigation. And former Phonak member Tyler Hamilton is serving a two-year suspension for doping.
Landis appears to be next, saying he doesn't expect his "B" sample to clear his name. According to a report in The New York Times, it won't matter because the testosterone in his sample was synthetic, meaning that the body can't produce it naturally.
In addition to his association to Graham, Gatlin was suspended in 2001 after testing positive for amphetamine use. The result was later determined to be caused by a medication he was taking. The International Association of Athletics Federations granted him an early reinstatement but kept the suspension on his permanent record.
Gatlin hasn't spoken since issuing a statement acknowledging the failed test, which is a telling sign. But both his "A" and "B" samples came back positive. If confirmed, he'll be hit with a lifetime ban because it's his second offense.
But what does it all mean?
It means--once and for all, sadly but ultimately--that every single athlete of his era is a doping candidate. Every one is a potential cheat.
That's the conclusion you draw from this concurrence.
That's the conclusion you draw from Landis, the new face of American cycling with the inspiring back story of a determined rider raised a conservative Mennonite who at one time refused to consume even caffeine.
That's the conclusion you draw from Gatlin, the global track and field poster boy with the infectious smile and charisma of a true superstar who has continually campaigned against steroid use and touted himself as a clean competitor.
Meanwhile, two potential benefactors are also awaiting the results.
Second-place Tour finisher Oscar Pereiro of Spain would be declared the winner if Ladis is suspended.
Powell would own outright the title of "World's Fastest Man" if Gatlin is banned.
But even they lose in the end. Because while we hope they are clean, it's an assumption we just can't make ever again.
Were you surprised to learn of the allegations against Landis and Gatlin? How do you think this affects drugs in sports? Send your view to [email protected].
