King has a very outspoken stance with regards to doping, but when she doubled down by calling out Justin Gatlin, she proved that she wasn’t willing to put it past her fellow Americans either.
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“USADA has done a great job”. “She does swimming, not track and field, so I’m not anxious about that”. WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) has done a great job.
King, who won gold in the 100 metre breaststroke for United States, has been vocal in her criticism of Russian rival Yulia Efimova – victor of silver in that event.
King was outspoken in her insistence that athletes who had previously been banned for doping should not be in the Olympics, including Gatlin and his USA sprint teammate Tyson Gay.
“I have come back and done what I needed to do”, he said.
Gatlin is slated to hit the track Sunday evening for the 100-meter dash final before he competes in the 200-meter sprint Tuesday and 4×100-meter relay Thursday.
Bolt, who is aiming to win the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay for a third straight games, will make his first appearance of the Olympics Saturday in his heat.
Gatlin tested positive for an amphetamine contained in medication for attention deficit disorder in 2001 and was suspended for two years, but was later reduced to 12 months. The second came for excessive testosterone in 2006 and resulted in a four-year ban. I have worked hard just like everybody else, and I get tested like everybody else, and I am back here.
When asked about Gatlin, King remained critical. “I believe in the system”.
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“Do I think someone who has been caught for doping should be on the United States team?” she said during an interview. They shouldn’t. It’s unfortunate that we have to see that and then it’s such a tossup in between sports and in between countries. “Everybody else believes in the system, too”.
