Frater
SPORTSMAN OF the Year 2005 Asafa Powell and World Championships 100m silver medallist Michael Frater were paid a surprise visit by the World Anti Doping Agency's (WADA) drug-testing team on Thursday afternoon.
The team from WADA caught up with the two MVP athletes just before they left for the annual Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year award in New Kingston.
Powell said it's a regular thing and he has got used to it now.
"Every time they will show up unexpectedly and do drugs tests, but it doesn't bother me," Powell, the world's 100m record holder at 9.77 seconds, said.
NOTHING TO HIDE
"I am always ready for a drugs test, I have nothing to hide," he boasted.
It was in recent years that WADA introduced out-of-competition drugs testing.
Powell added: "The people who do the drugs tests are always happy to be around me, they are always happy to do my drugs test and just to talk with me ... it's no problem.
Powell said last year they tested him five times within a month while he was in Europe.
Frater, the reigning Pan American Games gold medallist, said he wasn't surprise at WADA's sudden visit.
"Never surprised, it's something that we have learn to go through now," Frater said. "It's part of our lives as track and field athletes, so we just have to live with that."
He said it's not too pleasant to be giving blood often, but "it's good keeping the sport clean, making sure that everybody stays clean".
Frater, who finished behind American Justin Gatlin at last summer's World Championships in 10.05 seconds, said it's not the first time he has had out-of-competition testing, as they tested him after the World Championships last summer.
"It's just a part of the game right now," he admitted.
A.F.
