Washington finally gets his 2003 world gold medal

By Gene Cherry
EUGENE, Oregon (Reuters) - A pleased American sprinter Tyree Washington finally got his 2003 world 400 meters gold medal Saturday.
USA Track & Field (USATF) chief executive Doug Logan presented the medal to a smiling Washington as an appreciative crowd applauded at the U.S. world championships trials.
"It felt extremely, extremely good today," the 32-year-old Washington told Reuters.
"It`s one stop among many to make this come to an end," Washington, the 2003 silver medalist, added.
The gold medal is a duplicate of one originally presented to 2003 winner Jerome Young, who last year admitted to using prohibited substances and agreed to return the medal.
Young was already serving a lifetime ban for the sport for a 2004 positive doping test.
"I am just happy that Doug Logan presented the medal to me," Washington said. "He obviously is against drug use and wants to send a statement to the world that we are not going to let these drug users get all the fame any more."
But Washington, who lives in Southern California, said he was disappointed the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was not presenting him the medal at its world championships in August in Berlin.
He said he also would continue to seek the $30,000 first prize from the 2003 championships, adding he had proof Young was not paid.
The IAAF disagreed.
"The IAAF has different information -- namely that Jerome Young was indeed paid and has not repaid us," spokesman Nick Davies told Reuters in an e-mail last week.
(Editing by Ian Ransom)
Original article