Jun 6, 2008, 15:16 GMT
Lausanne, Switzerland - Justin Gatlin was ruled out of the Beijing Olympics on Friday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed a four-year doping ban against the American sprint star.
Gatlin, the Olympic 100m champion from 2004 and double world sprint champion from 2005, had aimed to halve the ban, citing exceptional circumstances in a first of two positive tests in his career.
The CAS said he was banned for four years from July 25, 2006, onwards. The highest sports authority said it would publish its full ruling at a later date.
But not only Gatlin lost in the high-profile case, the ruling athletics body IAAF also failed in its attempt to have Gatlin banned for life as a two-time offender, or at least eight years as in an original US verdict.
'The appeal filed by Mr Justin Gatlin on 21 January 2008 is rejected. The appeal filed by the IAAF on 23 January 2008 is upheld in part,' said the CAS ruling.
Gatlin said in statement that he aims to 'continue' to seek a ban 'shorter than four years' but did not elaborate. The CAS is the highest sports authority and its decisions are binding.
Even though it didn't get a longer ban the IAAF said it was happy that CAS upheld the four-year sanction.
'This result demonstrates the IAAFs determination to remove the scourge of doping from our sport. We will fight as hard as necessary, and commit all the resources necessary to ensure that this is done. There is no place for doped athletes in our sport,' said IAAF president Lamine Diack in a statement.
Gatlin failed a drug test in 2001 for using a banned substance in a medication he used for an attention deficit disorder. He was banned for two years by the IAAF, but reinstated in early 2002 although the IAAF warned him that a second offence would still constitute a life ban.
Gatlin was then caught using the steroid testosterone at an out-of-competition test on April 22, 2006, which was not made public until after he equalled Asafa Powell's then world record 9.77 seconds the following month.
He protested his innocence again but finally agreed to cooperate with the American authorities and to strip him of his results since the test, which led to an eight-year ban due to his cooperation and the exceptional circumstances around the first test.
Gatlin appealed and the ban was reduced to four years by the American Arbitration Association on December 31, 2007.
Gatlin then also went before CAS in order to get away with a two-year ban for a first-time offence as he wanted the first test rescinded.
A hearing took place in New York in late May but the CAS judges then confirmed the AAA ruling.
'In summary, the four-year ban and the retroactive cancellation of results as from 22 April 2006 decided by the AAA Panel have been maintained; only the commencement date of the period of ineligibility has been changed by the CAS,' said CAS on Friday.
Gatlin, 26, is now banned until July 24, 2010, which will make him miss the Beijing Olympics - had he qualified at the US trials in late June and early July - and the 2009 world championships in Berlin.
His first big event if he decides to return to sprinting would be the 2011 world championships in Daegu, South Korea. He will not run at the Olympics until London 2012.
Gatlin was originally an advocate against doping and seen as a new role model after former world record holder Tim Montgomery and other runners were caught cheating and the Balco scandal rocked US sprint.
He won 100m gold, 4x100m silver and 200m bronze at the Athens Olympics and added a rare 100m and 200m sprint double at the 2005 worlds in Helsinki.
Gatlin was coached by Trevor Graham who is currently on trial in the US over doping allegations as more of his athletes than just Gatlin have admitted to or been linked with illegal practices.
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