US sprinter fails doping test
July 14, 2013
Gay did not reveal the substance in question on Sunday as he admitted to having failed a doping test. The sprinter said he had been informed by the US anti-doping agency on Friday that a sample taken from an out-of competition test on May 16 had come back positive.
His "B" sample is yet to be tested.
Several news agencies reported the 2007 world champion was tearful as he spoke of the failed test in a telephone conference from his training base in Amsterdam.
"I don't have a sabotage story... I basically put my trust in someone and was let down," Gay said.
"I made a mistake," said the 30-year-old, adding that he knew "exactly what went on" but was unable to go into details at this stage. He insisted, however, that he had never knowingly taken a performance-enhancing drug.
He said he would not take part in the world championships due to take place in August.
In US trials for the world championships in June, Gay clocked this year's fastest 100 meters time with 9.75 seconds - the 10th fastest 100m of all time.
His personal best was in 2009 when he clocked a time of 9.69 seconds, making him the joint-second fastest man ever behind Jamaican legend Usain Bolt and equal with Yohan Blake.
He won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in the world championships in Osaka, Japan in 2007 and took home a 4x100m silver medal at the London Olympics last year.
Jamaica sprinters
Former 100-meter world-record holder Asafa Powell and Jamaican teammate Sherone Simpson have each tested positive for banned stimulants, according to their agent, Paul Doyle.
Doyle said on Sunday that they tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine at the Jamaican championships and were just recently notified.
Powell helped the Jamaicans to the 400-meter relay gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. He was the last man to hold the individual 100-meter record before countryman Usain Bolt broke it.
Simpson, 28, was a member of the Jamaican team that finished second in the 4x100 relay at last year's London Olympics.
"They're devastated," Doyle said in a phone interview. "I'm optimistic that Asafa's and Sherone's names will be cleared. Hopefully, through our investigation and all that, we'll be able to show it was unintentional."
ccp/jm (AFP, AP, Reuters)