All three medalists in the Olympic 200 meters said Thursday the newest drug allegations involving German sprinter Katrin Krabbe indicate the presence of a double standard for white and black athletes.
Krabbe, the reigning 100- and 200-meter world champion, was accused of manipulating a drug sample earlier this year and this week reportedly admitted using a performance-enhancing drug.
American Gwen Torrence, the gold medalist, and Jamaica`s Juliet Cuthbert, the silver medalist, joined bronze medalist Merlene Ottey of Jamaica in saying the former East German has been given too many chances. ”She`s the great white hope,” Cuthbert said. ”If, say, I get caught or any of us (blacks) get caught-one time, that`s all it takes and we`ll be out.”
After months battling to be reinstated, Krabbe declined to participate in the German trials, saying she didn`t have enough time to prepare.
This week, she was quoted by a newspaper as admitting she took the performance-enhancing drug Clenbuterol but didn`t know it was banned. On Thursday, German prosecutors said Krabbe`s coach, Thomas Springstein, is under investigation for violating drug laws, and a Berlin newspaper quoted a prosecutor as saying Krabbe also may come under criminal investigation. If it is proved that she took the substance, Krabbe faces an automatic four-year suspension under International Amateur Athletic Federation rules.
