Friday 13th August 2021
Sprint King “smiles” over case
Doping fraud could cost you an Olympic medal
The British sprinters cheer for Olympic silver with the relay. But now one of the quartet is suspended for suspected doping. Chijindu Ujah’s offense could cost everyone their medal. That amuses double Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who himself is not free from doubts.
The Olympic Games in Tokyo are not over for a week, and the first medal could already be withdrawn: the British sprinter Chijindu Ujah has been suspended for alleged doping after his silver medal success with the 4×100-meter relay at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. This was announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of the world association Word Athletics.
According to the AIU, the 27-year-old is said to have “the presence / use of the banned substances Ostarin and S-23”, “which are selective androgen receptor modulators (SARM)”. The substances are often used to build muscle. If the case is confirmed, Ujah’s team would have to give up the silver medal. Italy had become Olympic champion, Canada had won bronze, and China was fourth. The German relay crossed the finish line in sixth place.
The Italians are also not free from doubts. Lamont Marcell Jacobs – the new sprint king, the successor to Usain Bolt as Olympic champion over the 100 meters – has fallen into twilight due to dubious contacts. The Times reported that the 26-year-old had to part with his nutritionist in March because he was being investigated in Italy for the fraudulent illegal trade in steroids.
Giacomo Spazzini, a professional bodybuilder and fitness trainer, had praised the collaboration as the key to success after Jacobs’ Olympic victory. “It was his goal to run under ten seconds,” said the 26-year-old of the newspaper “Libero Quotidiano”. However, the authorities in Milan are investigating that Spazzini because he is said to belong to a group that is said to have carried on a lively trade in performance-enhancing preparations with fake recipes. Jacobs’ manager Marcello Magnani told the “Times” that the sprinter stopped working with Spazzini after he was informed of the investigation. “The investigation never touched Marcell, so we have no further information on it,” said Magnani.
“That makes me smile”
After the suspension of his British competitor became known, Jacobs smugly comments to Rai1 that a British newspaper, of all people, made this public: “After hearing the investigation into Ujah, I would say that it might be better to sweep your own front door first and then attacking others. That makes me smile. ”
He calmly commented on the allegations against himself: “I was not particularly affected by the situation because I know the sacrifices I made to get here and I want to enjoy it 100 percent instead.” Even with a longer break: Jacobs announced that he would not contest any more races this year. “There are very important dates in 2022, I have set the bar high and next year I want to be at the forefront, confirm myself and improve.”
It is clear that the double Olympic champion reacts in this way. So far, only he knows what he has done to get to the top of the world. But doping expert Fritz Sörgel has doubts: “I dare to say that something will come out here that will not be in favor of these two Olympic victories,” he told Deutschlandfunk. Jacobs presented himself extremely quickly in Tokyo: while his best time last year was 10.10 seconds, it increased to 10.03 seconds at the beginning of the year – at the Olympic Games he then improved the European record twice in the semifinals and finals finally 9.80 seconds – a world in a sprint.
But as with everything, the presumption of innocence also applies in sport. Which is no longer valid for Jacobs British competitor Ujah. The 27-year-old will be determined for positive doping samples. It could cost the UK a silver medal. In the individual over 100 meters, Ujah was eliminated in the semifinals.
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