100m champion Justin Gatlin issues apology for doping bans
US sprinter admits London boos 'hurt' but motivated him to win title
American sprinter Justin Gatlin has apologised for any "wrongdoings he brought onto the sport" after being booed by fans at the World Athletics Championships in London.
Gatlin has served two doping bans, one in 2001 and another in 2006, and was roundly booed by the crowd before the 100m final and during the medal presentation. In an interview with ITV he admitted that although the booes "hurt", they gave him the motivation to beat Usain Bolt and take gold at the London Stadium.
He also revealed he had written a letter of apology to the IAAF many years ago. 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."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Speaking about the booing in London, he added: "It did hurt because I'm not there for myself, I'm up there for my country, I'm up there for my supporters, I didn't do it for myself. Especially when I was at the starting line I wasn't there for me. I was there for people back at home watching who weren't able to come.
"Maybe the boos were for me but standing on the podium was for the people who have loved me and my country that I love."
Gatlin, who will run in Zurich this week, says he had concerns before returning to the sport after the doping bans as he just wanted to focus on being a runner. "I wanted people to respect me, to love me, to know that I'm a hard worker like anybody else," he said.
"I felt like sometimes that fell on deaf ears, and it took away from my focus of being a runner because I was so consumed by what people would think about me and judging me, that I really had to just dial-in and just focus on being a runner and let natural talent do all the talking."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right (luckily)
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Champions League expansion plan to be agreed
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Joachim Low and the Lions women’s team
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Sturgeon slams Rangers fans over title celebrations
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Keely Hodgkinson and Bryson DeChambeau
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Klopp’s unwanted record as Liverpool lose again at Anfield
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Tiger Woods and Tom Brady
By Mike Starling Published