Doha (AFP)

Alberto Salazar has been banned for "inciting" doping but the shadow of the disgraced US coach continues to hover over the World Athletics Championships in Doha.

Four days after being suspended for four years, the athletes linked to the director of the Nike Oregon Project (NOP), a very high-profile group funded by the American sports equipment manufacturer, continue to digest the news that has upset the world of athletics.

Seven of them are present at the Doha World Cup and two have already won a title (10,000m for the Dutch Sifan Hassan and 800m for the American Donavan Brazier).

Sifan Hassan chose not to speak in front of the media after winning his 1,500-meter semifinal in 4: 14.69 on Thursday.

American Matthew Centrowitz who separated from Salazar in 2018, also refused to speak Thursday: "I will speak after the Worlds, but now all my attention is on the competition," said the Olympic champion in 1,500 m.

His compatriot Craig Engels was more talkative Thursday after qualifying for the semifinals of the 1500m: "I was shocked.It was known that the verdict was going to fall and we thought + it will go +. to take four years is crazy, "said the athlete, still a member of the Nike Oregon Project.

The American said he had not seen anything suspicious since he joined the training group two years ago: "I remember telling my university coach + if anything happens , so I'll be the guy who talks about it. "

"I thought I'd give myself a year to see if I'm doing well, and if it was not and something was going on, then I would leave the group and report it, but literally nothing was never offered, I was never pressured to take a product, nothing, "he added.

- Maximum impact -

The American criticized the timing of the announcement of the American Anti-Doping Agency. "They waited to swing that in the middle of the worlds (...) It's pretty deceitful but I understand their desire to give the new the biggest impact possible," he lamented.

Craig Engels also fears that these revelations will tarnish the reputation of innocent athletes who train under the NOP banner.

"It sucks because the Oregon Project is hit, it messes up the whole group," he regretted.

In parallel, one of the most virulent critics of the Nike Oregon Project, middle distance athlete Jenny Simpson, did not take the twinge to react to the announcement of the suspension.

"Get it out, that's my reaction," the American told Salazar, who was cut off from the World Cup after the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) decision.

"When you cheat, you have to be punished, I'm in favor of the suspension for life, I wish he'd been over 4. Stop the cheats," Simpson responded in the mixed zone after winning the 1,500 series m.

"Anyone who follows athletics a bit knows that there is a shadow, black clouds that surround this group, so I do not understand why athletes choose to join him."

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