The men’s 100-meter world champion Christian Coleman was suspended for two years on Tuesday and lost his chance to follow Usain Bolt as the fastest man in the Olympics.
Important points:
- U.S. sprinter Christian Coleman didn’t test positive for performance-enhancing drugs, but he missed three tests within 12 months
- Anti-doping officials said Colemen had “received anti-doping training for a number of years”.
- Coleman had dropped a similar case against him before the 2019 World Cup where he won gold
Track and Field’s Athletics Integrity Unit said it banned the American sprinter for two years until May 13, 2022 for three violations of doping control rules.
Coleman missed two visits from sample collection officials and failed to provide correct information on another occasion, all in 2019 – the year he won his first world title.
“We see this case as the behavior of the athlete at best as very negligent and at worst as ruthless,” said the three-member jury in their published decision.
Coleman can appeal his ban to the Sports Arbitration Court.
The 24-year-old had been temporarily excluded from the competition since May. Weeks later, details of his three so-called “whereabouts” errors were revealed.
Athletes face a two-year ban if they have three violations within 12 months.
A previous similar case against Coleman was dropped weeks before the 2019 World Cup in Doha, Qatar.
That freed him up to take gold in the individual 100m and 4x100m relays and made him a favorite to win the title at the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Jamaican icon Bolt won the 100-meter run in the last three summer games.
The judges said there was no evidence that Coleman ever used a prohibited substance.
However, even the panel found that Coleman had been in a pool of elite athletes since 2016, designated for testing without notice, and “had received anti-doping training for a number of years”.
“The evidence indicated a total failure [comply with the rules] from the athlete, “said the judges.
Coleman previously wrote on his blog that his third and key mistake in staying – on December 9th last year – occurred when drug testers showed up at his apartment while he was doing Christmas shopping.
Elite athletes are required to complete a “whereabouts form” in order for anti-doping authorities to conduct surprise testing outside of competition.
A violation means that an athlete either failed to fill out forms telling authorities where they could be found, or they weren’t where they were when the testers arrived.
Coleman also took silver in the 100m and relay at the 2017 World Championships in London.
AP
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