LONDON, 27 November 2004 — Olympic time trial gold medalist Tyler Hamilton says he will battle on to try to clear his name of doping.
The American told the BBC from New York: “I will never hang my hands up and say that I’m guilty because I didn’t blood dope.”
Hamilton twice tested positive for a blood transfusion — in Athens in August after winning time trial gold and then following victory in a time trial in September’s Tour of Spain.
The Phonak rider has questioned the reliability of the test for blood doping and told the Extratime program: “People who know me know 100 percent that I’d never do something like this.
“Phonak believes in me and they believe this test hasn’t really been validated properly and we have built a neutral scientific team just to look into this test to see if it’s ready, not only for all cyclists but for all athletes.”
The IOC decided the result of the B sample in Athens was “non-conclusive” because it had been destroyed by being deep-frozen and the American kept his title.
Hamilton would have lost his crown if the B test was positive with Russia’s Vyacheslav Ekimov being promoted to gold.
The Russians have appealed and the American still faces a two-year-ban over the positive test at the Tour of Spain.
World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound has also cast doubts over the validity of his gold in Athens but Hamilton said: “Once I’m vindicated, he’s welcome to come over to my house and see it, the gold medal proudly displayed on my wall.”
Hamilton is rated as one of the few men capable of challenging the Tour de France supremacy of Lance Armstrong but retired on the 13th stage of this year’s race due to a back injury after finishing fourth in 2003 with a broken collarbone.
He told the BBC not a day went by without him thinking of winning next year’s Tour. “You know, until I win the Tour de France, I won’t be satisfied,” he said.
