US gold medalist banned for life

US gold medalist banned for life

US gold medalist banned for life by the US Anti-Doping Agency. US gold medalist banned for life for not giving full information about his whereabouts for out-competition drug testing. His coach said he retired               after the trials last summer and US Track and Field said he filed retirement papers this year.

US gold medalist banned for life for not giving full information during the last 18 months.

"Crawford retired after the trials last year," Crawford's representative Kimberly Holland said. "He's 35 years of age, and has moved on.

"Unfortunately, his announcement wasn't enough, as he had to complete retirement paper work to be removed from the testing pool."

Athletes are required to provide details of their whereabouts to drug-testers for a certain period of each day so they can be located for out-of-competition tests.

US gold medalist banned for life is considered a rule of violation for not giving full information, they called it Whereabouts Failures.”

“If they (drug testers) show up at my track looking for an athlete of mine and for some reason or another I gave them the day off — because maybe their foot was hurting — I can inform them, ‘Hey, someone is looking for you,’ and I’ll get them there,” Kersee said. “But no one has come up to me and asked for a drug test for Shawn all year.”

“I don’t understand this. He hasn’t put on spikes all year,” Kersee told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I just don’t understand how this is allowed to happen? I think it’s wrong. Eventually, the truth has to come out.

“A person who hasn’t put on spikes all year, a married man trying to take care of his family and what does he get for the end of his career — a two-year ban? I don’t understand.”

Bobby Kersee was caught off guard by the ban on Crawford, the 2004 Olympic 200-meter champion. At 35 years old, this suspension would all but end Crawford’s career, but Kersee insisted he has already stepped away.

USADA said Crawford's third whereabouts failure occurred in November last year and his two-year disqualification began on Wednesday, when the ban was officially forced.

Crawford also won a silver medal in the 4x100 relay at Athens and the individual 200 at Beijing, won by Usain Bolt.

At the 2004 Athen Games, US gold medalist banned for life led the first medal sweep for American men in the 200 in 20 years.

But Crawford gave his silver medal to Martina because she believed he deserves it and on his opinion he beat him fair and square. Martina lost an appeal to be officially reinstated.

There is paperwork needs to be fill out in order to officially retire and to removed from the out-of-competition testing pool.

“To read something of this magnitude, that his career ends with a red mark? We have to change that,” Holland said. “It hurts to hear that his career would end in such a way when he’s contributed so much to the sport.”

US Anti-Doping Agency organization has control of the anti-doping programs for U.S. Olympic, Paralympic, Pan-American and ParaPan American sport. Its work includes in-competition and out-of-competition testing, the results management and adjudication process, the provision of drug reference resources, the therapeutic-use exemption process, various scientific research initiatives, and athlete and outreach education. USADA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

My Opinion

US gold medalist banned for life will end Crawford careers. But he ended his career as an athlete. But Crawford chooses to not give his full information though he knows he violated the rule. Or I might wrong, I’m just saying my opinion.

Crawford contributed so much to the sport, don’t they consider?

But rule is rule, no consideration applied!

US gold medalist banned for life, the reports says he’s banned for two years. Crawford is a good athlete. He won the gold medal.

Hope they will reconcile or fix this issue.