Los Angeles (AFP)

Major figure of American athletics of the last 40 years, Alberto Salazar was at first a marathoner able to put his health at risk for the win, before becoming a coach-guru who crossed the yellow line by dint of flirting with.

In a statement released on Monday, in response to his four-year suspension by the US anti-doping agency for "organizing and instigating prohibited doping conduct," Salazar, 61, echoed one of Usada's conclusions in his defense.

"The defendant does not appear to have been motivated by the intention to commit the violations of rules found by the committee", established the authority. The coach, however, failed to mention the following: "Unfortunately, his desire has obscured his judgment of respect for the rule.

"Desire". Basically, everything has always been about it with Salazar, even if the words "will", "determination" and even "obsession" seem better suited for the one who has dedicated his life to surpassing himself and to victory at all costs.

"If you want to achieve a high goal, you will have to take risks," said one day who collapsed from exhaustion after winning the Boston marathon in 1982, because he had not drunk the whole race.

More than once, he ended up in the hospital. In 1978, at the end of the Falmouth Road Race (Massachussets), his body temperature reached 42.2 degrees. Sure to lose him, the doctor had the priest called ...

- "A rage since childhood" -

"After the race, I said to myself," Well, I got hard +, "he wrote later in his autobiography" 14 Minutes ".

In 1982, Salazar, 24, dominated the discipline at the national level, as evidenced by his third straight victory in the New York Marathon, after his success in Boston in the best time of his career (2h08: 52). A year earlier, he had even done better by winning in New York in 2:18:13, setting a world record, finally not homologated because the distance traveled was 148 meters lower than the official 42.195 km.

It is about thirty miles from the scene of his Boston exploit, in Wayland that the young Alberto grew up. Born in Havana on August 7, 1958, he was two when his family emigrated to the United States. His father, Jose, former friend of Fidel Castro, became one of his opponents.

In his memoirs, Salazar recounts being animated by "a rage that dates back to his childhood", marked by disputes and other dramas that took place between Cuban immigrants under the family roof.

In 1976, he joined the University of Oregon where he began experimenting with different processes and products to improve his performance. He trains with a mask containing oxygen-absorbing chemical crystals, to recreate the conditions of an altitude race; he takes dimethylsulfoxide, used against inflammation in purebred horses, to help his muscles recover better.

- Prozac, testosterone and heart attack -

The man who is nicknamed "Mr. Persistance" yet sees his body, bruised by wounds and solicited, release him at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles where he finishes 15th of the marathon.

He retired in 1988 after failing to qualify for the Seoul Games. He opens a restaurant, dedicates himself to his wife and their three children, but suffers from depression. He is prescribed Prozac, which he believes also treats his physical symptoms and encourages him to return to athletics as a coach.

Salazar, who also takes testosterone - "therapeutically," he says at Usada - is suffering a heart attack in 2007.

For the last six years, he has been at the head of the Oregon Project, a high-level training group funded by Nike, which will be making a name for himself, including four-time Olympic champion British champion Mo Farah (2012- 2016) and six-time world champion over 5,000 and 10,000 m.

His methods are winning, but the World Anti-Doping Agency is conducting the investigation. Which leads today to accusations of testosterone trafficking, injection of a supplement beyond authorized doses and attempted alteration of evidence.

If he intends to appeal, the future of Salazar in athletics still seems strongly compromised.

© 2019 AFP