100 meters world champion, Justin Gatlin has publicly apologised for his doping bans, after he was severely booed at the just concluded World Athletics Championships in London.
Gatlin, 35, who defeated 8th time Olympic gold medalist and now retired Usain Bolt to claim the 100 meters in London, has served two doping bans, first in 2001 for taking a banned supplement for Attention Deficit Disorder and in 2006 for testing positive to steroid testosterone.
Speaking exclusively to ITV News, Gatlin said: “If they wanted an official apology, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I apologise for any wrongdoings or any black eyes I brought onto the sport, I love the sport that’s why I’ve come back to run and try to run to the best of my ability and for that I’ve worked hard to right my wrongs.”
Sprinter Justin Gatlin has a message for those who booed him after he won Gold at the World Championships this month https://t.co/YnbQBc010C pic.twitter.com/lkXXeTNlRI
— ITV News (@itvnews) August 22, 2017
He also claimed to have written an apology to the IAAF, saying: “Before the trial, before I was sentenced, I wrote an apology.”
“The letter I wrote, which came out in 2015, it was suppressed for almost six years and I’m not sure who or why they suppressed it but I did apologise.”
“I started a programme where I went and talked to kids and told them about the pitfalls of falling behind the wrong people, staying on the path, doing the right things.”
Gatlin’s next race is at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Zurich this week.
Video Credit: Twitter.com – ITV News
