BALCO Bingo

So now we know: The track coach who blew the whistle on BALCO–the guy who turned in the syringe that contained a trace of the “designer steroid” that turned out to be THG–is Trevor Graham.

Graham is coach of Justin Gatlin, who won the 100-meter gold in the most competitive race ever. The open question is why Graham took it upon himself to ignite the greatest drug scandal in sports history.

From the L.A. Times:

“Speculation had long centered on Graham as the source of the syringe, though his motives remain unclear. At least six of Graham’s athletes have tested positive for banned substances.

“After Gatlin’s victory Sunday, Graham confirmed to reporters his involvement in triggering the BALCO investigation. Asked if he believed Gatlin would have won if he, Graham, hadn’t supplied the syringe that set off the investigation, Graham told the Baltimore Sun, ‘I can’t predict what would have happened. I don’t know.’

“His motivation, he said, was ‘I was just a coach doing the right thing at that time.’ He added that he had no regrets.”

I don’t know what to think of Graham (I guess it would help if I followed track and field and knew more about him than what anyone can read in the linked story), but Gatlin seems to be a genuinely nice guy.

Plus, he has ADD (as does swimmer Michael Phelps), which makes him just like me … aside from a few superficial details like age, skin color, hairline, and foot speed.

Tags: Tags: strength