The latest in-depth piece from Jonathan Gault is now up. I loved the closing paragraphs:
In a 2017 interview with ITV News, Gatlin issued a public apology.
"If they want an official apology, I’m sorry," Gatlin said. "I’m sorry. I apologize for any wrongdoings or any black eyes I have brought onto the sport."
That statement has the feel of a 10-year-old who will say whatever you want him to as long as it means he can leave his room and get back to playing Xbox again. Is he sorry because he put himself in a position to be doped unintentionally? Sorry because he intentionally doped? Or is he just sorry because he got caught? Gatlin has not fully denied his doping past, but he has never fully owned it, either.
And that is why the Justin Gatlin saga is so unsatisfying. There is no redemption, no Tiger at the 2019 Masters moment. In track & field, when one four-year ban casts you as a doper for life, redemption may never have been possible. But with Gatlin, there's no closure, either. There is no Lance Armstrong Oprah interview on the horizon, no catharsis for the running world. When Gatlin tested positive in 2006, a fog descended over him, one that remained for the rest of his career. Justin Gatlin has left the sport of running now. The fog remains.