American sprinter, Tyson Gay, has tested positive for a banned substance and will not compete at the World Championships next month in Moscow. This exit from the track meet means he and world-record Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt will not have the epic race most track fans were anticipating.
Gay didn’t discuss the substance in a recent phone conversation to the press Sunday, where he talked about his positive test. He said he was contacted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last week, where they told him his sample came back positive from a May 16 test.
“I don’t have a sabotage story. I don’t have any lies. I don’t have anything to say to make this seem like it was a mistake or it was on USADA’s hands, someone playing games,” said Gay, who fought back sobs as he spoke. “I don’t have any of those stories. I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down.”
A few years back, Gay was involved in a USADA program called ‘My Victory,’ where athletes pledge to compete drug-free. In his testimonial video for the initiative, Gay said, “I compete clean because I really believe in fairness, and besides that, my mom would kill me! Just being honest.”
The sprinter also said he already discussed the test results with his teammates, friends and family, including his mother and daughter.
“They already know it is some type of accident, or some type of — I don’t want to use certain words, to make it seem like an accident, because I know exactly what went on, but I can’t discuss it right now,” he said. “My career and my name have always been better than medals or records or anything like that. I’ve always wanted a clean name with anything. Unfortunately, I have to break this news, that I have a positive ‘A’ sample.”
