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SPORTS Wednesday 20 december 2017

Gatlin fires coach, ‘shocked’ by newspaper allegations

was just big talk. I did not the 2004 Athens Olympics, They will next hear from my
actually source or supply has served two doping lawyer.”
the substances the report- bans in his career. Coe said the IAAF has
ers asked for but stupidly “I am not using and have started to focus on the
claimed I could.” not used PEDs,” Gatlin “influences that surround
Wagner also said he noti- wrote in his Instagram post. athletes” and stressed
fied the Athletics Integrity “All legal options are on the that all support personnel
Unit of the situation four table as I will not allow oth- are bound by the govern-
weeks ago. ers to lie about me like this. ing body’s anti-doping
The 35-year-old Gatlin, who I have no further comments code and integrity code of
also won the 100 meters at as it is now a legal matter. conduct.q

In this Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 file photo, U.S. sprinter Justin
Gatlin arrives for a training session ahead of the World Athletics
Championships in London.
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — World The Telegraph reported
100-meter champion Jus- that Mitchell and a track
tin Gatlin fired coach Den- agent, Robert Wagner,
nis Mitchell following an met undercover report-
undercover investigation ers at a training camp in
reported Tuesday that ap- Florida and offered to sup-
peared to show people ply and administer testos-
linked to the sprinter offer- terone and human growth
ing to supply performance- hormone for an actor train-
enhancing drugs. ing for a film, for a fee of
“I was shocked and sur- $250,000.
prised to learn that my The newspaper said Mitch-
coach would have any- ell and Wagner were se-
thing to do with even the cretly recorded saying the
appearance of these cur- use of banned substances
rent accusations,” Gatlin in track was widespread.
wrote in a post on his Ins- Wagner called the news-
tagram account . “I fired paper report “deeply
him as soon as I found out flawed” and said it was
about this.” based on things he said
The IAAF’s Athletics Integri- that were not true.
ty Unit said it is investigating “I made up the comments
the allegations in conjunc- to impress them, led on by
tion with the United States a make-believe scenario,”
Anti-Doping Agency. The Wagner said in a statement
report was published in to The Associated Press. “It
Tuesday’s edition of the
British newspaper The Daily
Telegraph.
“These allegations are very
serious,” said Brett Clothier,
head of the AIU, “and strike
at the heart of the integrity
of athletics.”
IAAF President Sebastian
Coe said the allegations
are “extremely serious.”