Denial of guilt and arbitration: what is known about the doping scandal around the world's fastest runner

In athletics, one of the main anti-doping scandals of the year continues to unfold. This time, Christian Coleman, the fastest sprinter of our days and a contender for the medals of the World Championship in Doha, starting a month later, fell under the scope of anti-doping services. The 23-year-old American short-distance runner is suspected of missing three doping tests in 12 months.

Information about this appeared in the media last week, after which it was confirmed by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). For the violation of which the athlete is accused, he may face disqualification of up to two years with the admission of not only competitions in Qatar, but also the next Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The details of this case and the circumstances in which Coleman missed three doping tests have not been disclosed. The USADA only stated that the athlete was three times unable to provide information about his location, which led to three unsuccessful attempts to collect tests for verification in the out of competition period. USADA specialists were sent twice to the athlete. Representatives of the Independent Body Against Negative Events in Athletics (AIU) tried to get another test.

Although it is the latter organization that deals with doping issues, the USADA will consider the Coleman case. The agency agreed with the athlete that the hearing will be held on September 4, and a decision will be made on the evening of the next day, that is, he will have a chance to "free himself" by the start of the World Cup. The circumstances of the case will be examined by three judges from the American Association of Arbitrators and the North American Sports Court of Arbitration.

Coleman did not comment in detail on the upcoming hearing. The athlete only stated that he had never used illegal drugs and expressed confidence that he would be acquitted at a USADA hearing.

“I’m not one of those who take any kind of dietary supplements, so I never worry about doping tests and can take them at any time. Widespread reports of violations of the rules for the delivery of samples are simply not true. I’m sure that the upcoming hearing, scheduled for September 4, will clarify the situation, and this fall I will participate in the Doha World Cup. Some time after the hearing, I will be able to answer questions about this, but for now, I have to remain silent and respect the process, ”Coleman said in an interview with NBC.

Representatives of the athlete did not say how they would build his defense at the upcoming hearing. However, usually in such cases, the athlete tries to prove that he missed one of the three tests not through his own fault, but for some objective reasons. Then one of the warnings is removed, and the case is closed. With two missed doping tests, the athlete may continue to perform until he makes another mistake within 12 months.

Coleman can be called one of the main stars of athletics. At the age of 20, he first got to the Olympic Games and appeared in the American relay team, but in the final, she was disqualified for breaking the rules. In 2017, Coleman signed a seven-figure contract with a well-known clothing manufacturer, successfully performed at the World Championships in London and overtook Usain Bolt in the 100-meter final. The promising American became the silver medalist, second only to Justin Gatlin. Later they both won silver in the sprint relay.

A year later, Coleman created a sensation at the winter competitions in South Carolina. He ran 60 meters in 6.37 seconds, exceeding two hundredths of the world record of Maurice Green, who held almost 17 years. Coleman’s achievement was not ratified due to the lack of necessary equipment, but a month later he ran the distance even faster, in 6.34 seconds. This result was a new world record. Soon, Coleman backed him up with a victory at the World Indoor Championships, where he ran in 6.37 seconds.

Last season, Christian continued to establish himself as a superstar athletics and at the final stage of the Diamond League he ran 100 meters in 9.79 seconds. He shared seventh place among the fastest runners in history and showed the best result in the last three years, exceeding even the seconds shown by Usain Bolt at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

This season, Coleman continued to perform at the highest level. He is the season leader in the 100m race with a result of 9.81 seconds shown in Palo Alto. He selected for the world championship in Doha both in his crown discipline and in the 200-meter race.