celebrity deathmatch: gatlin vs landis

gatlin and landis, engaging in some flag love


one week after it was revealed that floyd landis had tested positive for an abnormal testosterone level, 100 meter world record holder justin gatlin was also caught. though competing in different sports and coming from vastly different backgrounds (landis is pennsylvania dutch while gatlin grew up in brooklyn) their careers have taken very similar paths.

in 2004, gatlin was struggling to make headway with the talented US Olympic track team when an anonymous person delivered a drug sample to testing officials. the individual claimed that several top level runners were using the drug, known as tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), and the sample enabled the IOC to screen athletes for this specific drug. the knowledge that they would be caught led several american track athletes to drop out of olympic qualifying, and gave gatlin his spot in the athens games. he went on to win gold in the 100 meters, and his coach then admitted to having delivered the THG sample to officials to enable gatlin to make the team.

prior to the 2006 cycling season, landis also struggled for recognition as the third best american cyclist behind 7 time tour de france winner lance armstrong and olympic gold medalist tyler hamilton. the 2006 tour de france was landis's best chance to succeed, as armstrong had retired, hamilton was serving a two year ban for blood doping, and several other big names had been knocked out of contention via a spanish doping scandal. the thinning of the field allowed landis to claim his first tour de france title, becoming the third american to do so.

both athletes, who had been outspoken in their condemnation of doping in their sports, were then caught for steroid use, and both claimed innocence. landis changed his story numerous times, first saying that the abnormal ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in his system was caused by the cortisone injections he required for his hip. he then decided that alcohol was the culprit, followed by his body's own naturally abnormal testosterone levels (which for some reason only showed up after his best stage), then dehydration, and finally, when the testers revealed the steroids they found were synthetic, landis decided that the test was rigged by the french, who have an anti-american agenda. gatlin went directly to the conspiracy theory, blaming an angry former trainer for having spiked a water bottle, or the sample itself.

both are likely entirely guilty, but even if their conspiracy theories turn out to be true, landis and gatlin's controversies have moved their fringe sports even further from the ranks of legitimate sport.