AND BEATEN RUPP TO SWEAR HE’S CLEAN
MO FARAH’S training partner Galen Rupp, who is at the centre of the doping storm, suffered a shock defeat at the USA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, last night. He was beaten into third place down the straight in the 5,000m final but still qualifies for the USA team going to the World Championships in Beijing this summer, where he will also compete in the 10,000m. Farah is expected to represent Great Britain in both events, qualifying by virtue of being defending champion, although he has opted to miss the UK trials in Birmingham this weekend. A BBC Panorama documentary which aired earlier this month alleged Rupp, a close friend of Farah, took banned anabolic steroid testosterone as a 16-year-old and abused prescription drugs to enhance his performance. Rupp, who was second to Farah in the 10,000m at the London 2012 Olympics, denies all the allegations. He would not be drawn on whether he had already been interviewed by the US Anti-Doping Agency, which is investigating his coach Alberto Salazar. ‘USADA knows everything,’ he said. ‘I’ve sent them tons of documents and I’ve got nothing to hide, so I’ll do everything I need to do to co-operate with them.’ When asked if he would testify under oath — which means an individual could be charged with perjury if they are found to have lied — he said: ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.’ However, he later clarified for American journalists: ‘I would be happy to sign a sworn affidavit saying I’ve never taken performanceenhancing drugs or testosterone.’ Farah and Rupp’s team-mate Treniere Moser said she believes drug-testers may be targeting athletes who train at the Nike Oregon Project, which Salazar heads up. Moser, a 1500m runner, has been tested twice in the past 10 days. Rupp, who was tested 28 times in 2013, said: ‘It’s nothing new for me. I’m happy to do that because we believe in clean sport.’