United States gold medallist Jon Drummond has railed against those who kept the news of CJ Hunter’s positive tests for steroids under wraps and expressed disappointment at the amount of media coverage the issue has received.
Describing the delayed revelations as unfair to everybody connected with the Olympic Games, Drummond believes that Hunter’s positive tests should have been revealed immediately afterwards.
‘It wouldn’t have touched the Olympic Games because he [Hunter] wouldn’t have been here, says Drummond. ‘He didn’t get busted here. He got busted somewhere back in Oslo.
‘I don’t think that it was fair for anything to be exposed here that didn’t happen here. It was unfair to everybody here. More-so to Marion [Jones, Hunter’s wife], because she was here to do a job.’
Drummond made his statements immediately after winning a gold medal as part of the US team in the men’s 4×100 metres relay on Saturday. He also claimed that even having to talk about the Hunter issue had taken from the joy of winning his first Olympic medal.
‘Let’s not talk about the person that kicked out of the Village because of drugs. Let’s talk about Marion Jones winning two gold medals. Or the Greek guy [Konstantinos Kenteris] that just won the 200 and upset everybody.
‘Let’s talk about Ian Thorpe who won all those gold medals. Let’s talk about [pole vaulter] Stacy Dragila almost breaking the world record. It was not fair that on the night of her victory she had to answer questions about CJ Hunter.’
Drummond, a semifinalist in the 100m at Atlanta in 1996 and part of the 4x100m relay team that won at the World Championships in Seville last year, is often characterized as the clown prince of US athletics for his exuberant antics and rapid-fire banter.
As the revelations about Hunter increase the cloud of suspicion gathering over other US athletes, Drummond admits that his boisterous personality has led to some people getting the wrong idea about him.
‘John Drummond has been accused of being dirty ever since he got in the sport — ‘Who is this guy? He smiles, he jumps in the crowd, he runs around. How can he have all this energy after his race?’
‘I’ve been accused, but you know what, they accused Jesus and they crucified him. Not that I’m comparing myself, but people live on the accusation. They don’t want to live on the truth.’
As he waited to undergo one of the mandatory drug tests that have been such a feature of Sydney 2000, he was asked what could be done to sort-out the problem of drugs in sport.
‘I don’t have the answers to that. I’m just one of the athletes who has to drink water right now as I have to go pee.’
Des O’Driscoll Olympics.com
Source: SOCOG