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Report: Gatlin suspension reduced to four years

Tue 1st, January 2008

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - American sprinter Justin Gatlin reportedly had an eight-year suspension for a doping violation reduced to four years by an arbitration panel.

According to the Washington Post, a split decision among the three-panel board ruled that Gatlin must serve a four-year penalty, stemming from an April 22, 2006 positive test for a banned substance.

Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic champion in the 100 meters, was initially suspended for eight years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in August of 2006. He appealed the lengthy ban and hoped to have it reduced to just two years in order to be eligible for the 2008 Olympics in August.

The positive test at the Kansas Relays in 2006 was the second for Gatlin, who should have been suspended for life under anti-doping rules. However, his first positive test came from the use of a prescription medication for an attention-deficit disorder while in college.

Because of the special circumstances surrounding his first positive test, the USADA only gave him an eight-year ban and allowed him the opportunity to appeal its length.

The 25-year-old Gatlin won Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games and in May 2006 tied the 100-meter world record of 9.77 seconds set by Jamaica's Asafa Powell. However, Gatlin's share of the mark was erased after his positive test and Powell has since lowered the mark to 9.74 seconds.

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