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A massive leak of blood data from the IAAF repository suggests the Jamaican sprinter and the British gold-medal-winning athlete are both clean. Each of them has been the subject of serious doping allegations in the recent past.
The Sunday Times reported that “a third of medals at the London 2012 Olympics were won by athletes with suspicious blood tests”
The Times reported, however, that Bolt and Farah had shown no indication of doping, and were “unknowingly competing against athletes who were suspected of cheating.”
Among other 'clean’ athletes is British Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill, who gave a standout performance at the recently concluded Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games in London and will be participating in the IAAF World Championships in Beijing later this month.
She and coach Toni Minichello are still unsure of her participation in the 2016 Rio Olympics, although Ennis-Hill is herself keen to be part of the Games. She recently returned to sport after a hiatus following the birth of her son, and has so far looked on track to be ready well in time for the Olympics next year.
Farah is still under intense scrutiny, however. The athlete trains under American-Cuban coach Alberto Salazar, who last month was the subject of a BBC Panorama investigation, which alleged that Salazar had been doping his athletes, recommending them testosterone and thyroid medication they did not require in order to enhance their performances.
The investigation also suggested that Salazar had been doping American track-and-field star and Olympian Galen Rupp since the athlete was 16 and still a high school student. Farah and Rupp and Farah train together at the Nike Oregon Project, a project by the shoe manufacturer that includes several long-distance runners. Among these is Kara Goucher, one of the USA’s most iconic track names.
Goucher was part of the BBC’s investigation, as was her husband. Both of them support claims that Salazar was involved in doping his athletes, as does Salazar's own former second-in-command, Steve Magness.
As these allegations are recent, Athletics UK are still midway through an independent investigation into Farah's samples, although a spokesperson for Athletics UK said they believed completely in Farah’s innocence.
In immediate light of the allegations, Farah had withdrawn from several Diamond League games. The news exonerating him will come as a welcome relief.
