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American 100-metre record holder Tyson Gay pulled out of the World Championships yesterday after testing positive for a banned substance.
On what was a dark day for athletics, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell and his compatriot Sherone Simpson also tested positive for banned stimulants.
Gay wouldn’t reveal the substance in a phone conversation from Amsterdam yesterday, but he said he was notified by the US Anti-Doping Agency late last week that a sample came back positive from a May 16 out-of-competition test. He said he will have his “B” sample tested soon, possibly as early as this week.
“I don’t have a sabotage story. I don’t have any lies. I don’t have anything to say to make this seem like it was a mistake or it was on USADA’s hands, someone playing games,” said Gay, who fought back sobs as he spoke. “I don’t have any of those stories. I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down.”
Asked who that person was, Gay replied: “I can’t really say it. Sometimes a human being naturally, generally trusts somebody. That’s what people do.”
A triple world champion in 2007, Gay was healthy again this season after being constantly plagued by hamstring and groin ailments, along with a surgically repaired hip. He won the 100 and 200 at nationals last month, setting up an anticipated showdown with Usain Bolt at worlds.
But that’s been scrubbed. Gay also said he will pull out of a meet in Monaco and fly back to the headquarters of USADA in Colorado Springs, Colo., to be on hand when his “B” sample is tested.
On the same day, former 100-metre world-record holder Powell and Simpson have each tested positive for banned stimulants, according to their agent.
Paul Doyle said that they tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine at the Jamaican championships and were just recently notified. Powell helped the Jamaicans to the 400-metre relay gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and was the last man to hold the individual 100 record before countryman Usain Bolt broke it earlier that year.
Simpson won Olympic gold in the women’s 400 relay in 2004 and silver in 2012, along with an individual silver in the 100 in 2008. These doping positives come a month after another Jamaican Olympic champion, Veronica Campbell-Brown, tested positive for a banned diuretic.
A few years ago, Gay was part of USADA’s programme called “My Victory,” where athletes pledge to compete clean. In his testimonial on the website, Gay said, “I compete clean because I really believe in fairness, and besides that, my mom would kill me! Just being honest.”
He’s spoken with his teammates, friends and family, including his mother and daughter.
“They already know it is some type of accident, or some type of — I don’t want to use certain words, to make it seem like an accident, because I know exactly what went on, but I can’t discuss it right now,” he said. “My career and my name have always been better than medals or records or anything like that. I’ve always wanted a clean name with anything. Unfortunately, I have to break this news, that I have a positive ‘A’ sample.”