PHOENIX: Sprinter Justin Gatlin received an eight-year ban from athletics on Tuesday, officials said, avoiding a lifetime penalty in exchange for his cooperation with doping authorities and because an earlier positive doping test was deemed an honest mistake.

He will forfeit the world record he tied with Asafa Powell in May, when he ran the 100 metres in 9.77 seconds. At age 24, the lengthy ban is less than the maximum penalty, but could effectively end his career.

Powell's reaction

Reacting to the decision, Powell said he felt like the sole owner of the mark since the U.S. sprinter was caught doping.

"Actually, since the day that Justin was tested positive, from that day I was the sole holder. It is a good thing that he chose to cooperate,'' Powell said of his long-time rival. Gatlin tested positive in April for testosterone or other steroids, five years after his first positive test, which was for medicine to control attention-deficit disorder. Since that first test, Gatlin has positioned himself as a champion of doping-free competition in a sport dogged by scandal.

Under the World Anti-Doping Agency code, a second doping offence calls for a lifetime ban. But Gatlin reached a compromise with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Under terms of the compromise, he can still appeal to an arbitration panel in the next six months to have the term reduced.

He cannot, however, dispute the results of the test.

"To his credit, it's recognition that the science is reliable," USADA general counsel Travis Tygart told The Associated Press.

"Instead of wasting a bunch of resources attempting to create smoke where there's not any, he's acknowledging the accuracy of the positive test, and in exchange for his agreement to cooperate, we've recognised the nature of his first offence."

Honest mistake

The first offence occurred while Gatlin was in college. He stopped taking the ADD medicine a few days before competition, but it did not clear his system. He received a two-year ban for that test, which was reduced by a year because of the "exceptional circumstances" of the offence.

"The nature of Gatlin's first offense for use of his medication puts this violation in a unique category," said USADA chief executive officer Terry Madden.

Gatlin has said he didn't know how steroids got into his system this time.

One of his attorneys, John Collins, said Gatlin would spell out his case at the arbitration hearing. He would not discuss strategy.

"The last time this happened, he went to the panel and explained he neither cheated nor intended to cheat," Collins said. "This time, we'll explain the full stack of circumstances and everything around it and, hopefully, we'll get a similar result."

He said the circumstances "indicate he deserves something far less than eight years, if anything."

The head of USA Track and Field called Gatlin's case "a setback for our sport."

"While we are glad Justin has taken responsibility for his positive test and will cooperate in USADA's anti-doping efforts, we are sorely disappointed in him," USATF chief executive officer Craig Masback said in a statement.

— AP

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