Banned American sprinter Justin Gatlin has lost his appeal to run in
the U.S. Olympic athletics trials in Eugene, Oregon. Gatlin says he
will end his legal effort rather than take the case to the U.S. Supreme
Court.
Gatlin has twice tested positive for banned
substances. But his first doping violation resulted from prescribed
medication to treat attention deficit disorder.
In a brief
decision Thursday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta
ruled Gatlin's case is not eligible for an injunction. Earlier this
month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a four-year ban
against Gatlin for doping violations.
The defending Olympic
100-meter champion sought a court ruling that would allow him to run in
the U.S. trials starting Saturday.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
