Gatlin thought shot was B12 vitamin

By Staff     Aug 7, 2007

Justin Gatlin, of the United states, competes in the 100-meter event at the Qatar Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar, in this May 12, 2006 file photo. The 100-meter gold medalist in the Athens, who hopes to run in the '08 Beijing Games, tested positive for testosterone and other steroids last April but has said he doesn't know how steroids got into his system.

The top assistant to track coach Trevor Graham gave Justin Gatlin an injection, which he believed to be vitamin B12, two weeks before the world record-sharing sprinter tested positive for steroids.

After Randall Evans gave Gatlin the shot, the sprinter was given what he was told were anti-inflammatory pills as a follow-up, a person with knowledge of the case told the Associated Press on Monday.

Gatlin said Evans and Graham came to his house and told him the injection could help his troubled hamstring, said the person, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case.

Gatlin answered questions about the injection and medication last week at an arbitration hearing to determine whether a possible eight-year ban should be reduced.

The 100-meter gold medalist at the Athens Olympics, who hopes to run in the 2008 Beijing Games, tested positive for testosterone and other steroids last April but has said he doesn’t know how steroids got into his system. A ruling is not expected for several weeks.

Gatlin’s attorney John Collins confirmed Gatlin received an injection and pills. “But we have no reason to believe it was anything other than B12 and Voltaren,” he said.

Voltaren is commonly used to treat inflammation.

Evans did not testify at the hearing.

“I chose not to call him,” Collins said. “I didn’t think he added anything.”

Neither Graham nor his attorney returned a call requesting comment. A message left at the home of Gatlin’s parents also wasn’t returned.

That April 2006 test, when Gatlin was competing at the Kansas Relays, was his second positive doping test. His first doping offense occurred when he was in college at the University of Tennessee. He stopped taking medicine to treat attention deficit disorder a few days before a competition, but it didn’t clear his system, according to the case records. He received a two-year ban, which was reduced by a year because of the “exceptional circumstances.”

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