After running a world-leading 100m in Doha, Justin Gatlin decided to fly home on the eve of the Beijing World Challenge meeting, saying that the race organizers did not want him there, according to Reuters. 

 

The Olympic medalist, who has served two doping bans, was scheduled to headline the 100m race in Beijing after running 9.74 at the Doha Diamond League meeting. The mark is a world lead and a new personal best for the 33-year-old sprinter. 

 

According to the news source, Gatlin left for the airport to fly home to Florida because he was upset by the lack of respect shown to him. According to Reuters, the race organizers ignored requests for a response to Gatlin's claims and gave no explanation as to why they would want him to leave. 

Renaldo Nehemiah, Gatlin’s manager was apparently told by the local organizing committee that they felt Gatlin should leave. When asked if the issue was linked to Gatlin's past doping bans, Nehemiah responded to Reuters:

"No it has nothing to do with that. No, this is because they think he is injured and they don't want him here if he's injured," Nehemiah said. 

He also claimed that the organizers made Gatlin and his team pay for their flight and hotel costs. 

 

Gatlin apparently was suffering from a nagging cramp in his hamstring and dehydration after competing in Doha. He was unsure he’d be a able to compete in Beijing, but after a training session on Monday, Gatlin was confident in his ability to race at the meeting. 

 

“I was happy to stay. I’m fit and ready to run. I was cramping a lot after the fastest my body had ever run,” Gatlin said, according to Reuters. “They didn’t have any respect for me so they said: ‘You better leave,’ and they kicked me out.”

 

“It’s crazy. I have no idea what they were thinking. I think they thought I wasn’t man enough and I might pull up in the race, or not finish it and then still ask for money,” Gatlin said according to the news source. 

 

“But I’m not a man like that. I’m not the kind of guy to cheat people of their money or let the fans down…that’s not what I do.”