Dai Greene has expressed his surprise that Commonwealth Games medallists are not automatically given drug tests. Greene, whose defence of his 400m hurdles title ended when he finished fifth in his heat in 50.36sec – more than two seconds outside his personal best – also defended his fellow Welsh athletes Gareth Warburton and Rhys Williams, who were withdrawn from Glasgow after failing drugs tests, saying they were not “deliberate cheaters”.
“You can’t test enough, really,” insisted Greene when asked about the Commonwealth Games Federation’s policy of targeting certain sports and athletes rather than systematically testing all medallists’ urine or blood. “For everyone to be tested is the way forward, in my mind, and our sport will become cleaner because of more testing I think, so that’s disappointing.”
Both Warburton, who was due to compete in the 800m, and 400m hurdler Williams, are waiting to hear their punishment from the UK Anti-Doping Agency but Greene insists the pair were “careless” not malicious. “When Gaz found out he texted me and I was really quite upset about it because I know Gaz and lived with him for a few years,” said Greene. “He’s not that kind of guy. He lived off raisins and couscous because he couldn’t afford anything else, so I don’t think he’s organising a drugs ring.
“And even though me and Rhys don’t really get on, I know he’s not the sort of person to deliberately cheat. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of things and find things out because I do believe that they are not deliberate cheaters. They have probably just been careless or misled slightly. That will come out eventually I’m sure.”
Greene has conceded he is unlikely to make the British team for next month’s European championships after failing to reach the qualifying standard. Green’s season’s best is 49.89, just outside the 49.80 he needs to compete in Zurich. With no Diamond League meetings scheduled before the cut-off point on 3 August he needs to find a race as well as the time.
“I knew I was playing catch-up from a few months ago,” said Greene, who has had three hernia operations and started his season late. “I didn’t expect to be here but my mindset did shift a bit and I wanted to make the final but ran out of steam, so sadly it wasn’t to be.
“I was provisionally selected for the European championships but I don’t think I’ll make the squad now. I’m not fit enough really. It has been frustrating but I’m happy to have given it a shot.”
The only home nations representative in Thursday’s 400m hurdles final will be Richard Yates after the English runner qualified as a fastest loser in a time of 49.80.