It is no news that Usain Bolt has been in Australia since August 2018 to try out his fortune in football. What is news however, is that the former track and field fastest man on earth who is known to be at the forefront of athletes advocating and campaigning against doping in sports, is made to take a doping test himself for reason of being an ‘elite athlete’.
Since around 2006, Jamaica has supplied many of the world's fastest sprinters. Some have used genetics to explain the Jamaican dominance in sprinting, some credit the Jamaican environment, while others believe that it is the result of rampant cheating in the form of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). At the center of this debate is Usain Bolt, first recognized when he became the youngest gold medalist ever at the 2002 Junior World Championships. After establishing himself as a professional sprinter, Bolt won 17 of his 18 races between 2007 and 2016, capturing 17 gold medals and setting multiple world records. Since Bolt wins races against athletes known to have taken PEDs, some wonder if Bolt became the world's fastest man by taking PEDs himself. RootClaim
Last Friday, Usain Bolt surprised football officials and spectators when he opened his scoring goal in a professional friendly, scoring twice in the match for his Australian club Central Coast Mariners. But while he has not yet played official matches, the former track and field superstar appeared in a video posted on his social platform, complaining about the fact that he was compelled to take a PEDs test.
As expected, the eight-time Olympic champion became piqued when he received the summons for an unannounced anti-doping test. "How am I going to take an anti-doping test today? I'm not even a professional footballer yet! No, but seriously? He said, before continuing, "So I asked the lady, “Why do I have to take an anti-doping test when I have not signed up with a club yet?” She said she was told that I was an elite athlete so I had to be controlled ... Save for the indefinite training period he has been enjoying, Bolt is not fortunate enough to sign a pro contract despite being in Australia for months now.
In my opinion the football officials were a little bit hasty if not over ambitious in their quest to control an athlete who has no known history of doping. Common sense should have dictated to them that it will be proper to tarry a while until Bolt secures a professional contract in Australia before any form of control will be imposed. On the other hand it may be a move by the officials to determine whether his superb performance was aided by Performance Enhancing Drug, used in other to impress would be employers who were watching.
“An athlete who takes PEDs can’t be proud and happy about it at all, it’s not good for the sport, but over the years we’re doing a better job, it’s getting clean and we’re catching up to a lot of athletes. There’s an understanding that, listen, if you cheat you will get caught” Usain Bolt.
Rootclaim's analysis of all the evidence finds that Bolt is likely not taking PEDs (80%).
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