Usain Bolt was in brilliant form as he powered to 100 metre gold at the World Championships in Moscow on Sunday night.
Mo Farah was equally impressive when he dug deep to win the 10,000m on Saturday while Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat became the first woman to retain the marathon world title.
However, not for the first time, the Games were blighted on the opening day with news of yet another failed drugs test.
Kelly Ann Baptiste withdrew from the Championships due to a failed drugs test. The Trinidad and Tobago sprinter, who won a bronze medal in Daegu two years ago, was due to run in the 100m heats on Saturday.
Team-mate Semoy Hackett was also withdrawn while there were reports that another Trinidad and Tobago sprinter, Aaron Armstrong, missed two mandatory drugs test.
Hackett, a senior sprinter with Louisana State Iniversity, came into the World Championships on the back of a failed drugs test at the NCAA Division 1 Track & Field Championships last year.
The sports governing body continues to battle the scourge of doping but the IAAF’s four-year ban doesn’t come into effect until 2015 leaving athletes, banned for drugs offences, free to return to top class competition after completing a two-year ban.
Only five weeks ago top sprinters Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, who would have been expecting to do battle with Usain Bolt in Sunday’s 100m final, failed drugs test forcing them out of the World Championships.
Considering some athletes continued and blatant violation of the rules, surely the time has come for a zero tolerance policy to be adopted regarding drugs cheats.
