Thursday, March 28, 2024

Entire U.S. Men’s Sprint Relay Team Stripped of 2012 Silver Medal

In this Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012 file photo, from left, United States' 4x100-meter relay team Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Ryan Bailey walk on the track taking the silver medal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London.
In this Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012 file photo, from left, United States’ 4×100-meter relay team Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Ryan Bailey walk on the track taking the silver medal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London.

*The doping case of Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay has caused the entire U.S. men’s sprint relay team to be stripped of its silver medal from the 2012 London Olympics on Wednesday.

The International Olympic Committee notified the U.S. Olympic Committee by letter that the 4×100 relay team has been disqualified and all the medals withdrawn. The letter asks the USOC to collect the medals and return them to the IOC.

”As expected, following USADA’s decision in the Tyson Gay case, the IOC today confirmed that the U.S. team has been disqualified from the 4×100-meter race that was part of the athletics competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games,” USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement.

”We will begin efforts to have the medals returned, and support all measures to protect clean athletes.”

Gay returned his own medal last year after accepting a one-year doping suspension and the loss of results going back to July 2012, but the status of the U.S. second-place finish in London and the medals of Gay’s relay teammates had remained in limbo until now.

Under international rules, an entire team can be disqualified and stripped of medals because of doping by one member.

Gay was a member of the American team that finished second in London behind a Jamaican team anchored by Usain Bolt. The Americans set a national record in the final with a time of 37.04 seconds.

The other U.S. team members losing medals are Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Ryan Bailey, Jeffery Demps and Darvis Patton. Kimmons, Gatlin and Bailey ran in the final with Gay.

Gay tested positive for steroids at the U.S. championships in 2013. He received a reduced suspension – rather than a two-year ban – because he cooperated with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation that led to an eight-year ban for his former coach, Jon Drummond.

Gay’s results were annulled going back to July 15, 2012, the date when he first used a product containing a banned substance.

If the London medals are reallocated, the silver will go to Trinidad and Tobago, which finished third in 38.12 seconds. The bronze would go to the French team which placed fourth in 38.16 seconds.

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