Justin Gatlin says Tyson Gay deserves second chance after doping ban

Justin Gatlin has said athletes returning from doping bans deserve to be given a second chance in the wake of Usain Bolt’s comments that Tyson Gay’s one-year ban was “the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard”.

Bolt’s comments mark his most scathing public criticism of former rival Gay, who tested positive for a banned steroid in 2013 and was subsequently given a one-year ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which was reduced from two years after Gay offered substantial assistance to investigating authorities.

“The message should be: ‘If you cheat, you’re going to be kicked out of the sport,’” said Bolt in an interview with Runner’s World. “You have to drive fear into athletes, to make them think about the consequences of their actions. If they’re getting an easy penalty why would they care?”

Speaking to the Guardian at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia – where he will compete in the USA vs. the World 4x100m relay on Saturday – Gatlin said that while he respects the opinion of Bolt, he is looking forward to seeing American teammate Gay getting back to the sport’s top tier.

“That’s a fight between Tyson and Usain,” Gatlin said. “They’ve had many battles in the past, so hopefully Tyson will come back on his A-game and it’ll make a good competition. Everyone should give a second chance, but everyone is also entitled to their opinion. I can’t say that what Usain has said is bad or good. It’s an opinion, and everybody is entitled to their opinion, so I respect what he says.”

Gatlin was Olympic 100m champion in 2004 but was given a four-year ban after testing positive for testosterone in 2006. Since his comeback, he has returned to the top of the track world and finished 2014 as the top-ranked sprinter, running personal bests over 100m (9.77 seconds) and 200m (19.68) last summer. The dissenting voices he’s heard since returning don’t faze him in the slightest.

“Critics are just what they are,” he said. “They’re going to pick at the positivity of things. I come out to do what everyone else is trying to do, which is run, run fast and win. I’m not really concerned with what naysayers or critics say. I come out here to do my job and I have to prepare myself for a race and run fast.”

As he prepares to get his 2015 season underway, Gatlin says he feels as fast as ever. “I had a great year [in 2014], an undefeated season, and I feel in the same shape,” he said. “I used last year as a blueprint, and I want it to be a stepping stone to do even better this year. At 33, I’m still discovering my own talents. I find little flaws I have in practice, I work on those and go to the gym or I eat better.”

After this weekend, Gatlin’s next race will be at the IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas next weekend, and his first individual 100m race of the season will likely be over 100m at the Doha Diamond League meeting in Qatar on 15 May. “I’ll run a couple of 200m races here and there too,” he added.

Gatlin says he is looking forward to renewing rivalry with Bolt – who missed most of 2014 with injury – though a clash between the two is unlikely to happen before August’s IAAF World Championships in Beijing. The Jamaican won his first 100m race of the season last week in Rio de Janeiro, running 10.12 seconds.

“Me and him are going to clash, and when it happens, it’ll be big,” said Gatlin. “It’s not a cat-and-mouse game where I’m chasing him to the end of his career. It’s more about taking it step by step so if [Bolt] goes until 2017, I know he’s going to come out and have a great couple of years before then. I’ve prepared myself for a clash with Usain. Hopefully we’ll be able to be rivals for the next two to three years and we’ll have a good time.”

Asked much longer he sees himself competing, Gatlin – who turned 33 in February – explained he’s keeping his options open. “I have no idea,” he said. “When it’s over, it’s over. When I hang those spikes up, I don’t want to look back and think: ‘I wish I did a couple more sit-ups or I wish I did more runs’, and that really motivates me. That helps me rebuild myself every year.

“I’ll leave the sport when the young dogs push the old dog out. Until then, I’ll stick around for a little while and collect a couple more checks.”