Damu Cherry: Hurdling over past steroid use

The women's US track team's best 100M hurdler appears to be Demu Cherry, who spent 2 years banished from the sport when she tested positive for a nandrolone metabolite.  To the Tampa Tribune:

She is the fastest 100-meter hurdler in the world this season. But at this week's U.S. Olympic track and field trials, some might say Damu Cherry is a ghost athlete.

Suspended in 2003 for failing a drug test, the former Leto High and University of South Florida standout received a two-year suspension from the sport for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Cherry still denies knowingly taking the drug, which she said she ingested via contaminated vitamins. She served her two-year suspension but kept training at a high level, and she is now in a strong position to make her first Olympic team.

Despite the fact that Cherry has paid her dues and has returned to being among the world's elite hurdlers, she is somewhat invisible as she prepares to race as the No. 1 seed in today's opening round of the event at Hayward Field.

Cherry is unlisted in the USATF (but is the IAAF).  Her coach is Dennis Mitchell,

USA Track and Field, the governing body of American track, doesn't even list Cherry among the athlete biographies on its Web site. And comments by some USATF officials indicate that Cherry's strong performances since her comeback have not made people forget her "doping suspension," as it is labeled next to Cherry's entry in the USATF media guide for the years 2004 and 2005.

It doesn't help that Cherry's coach and fiance, Dennis Mitchell, a former world-class sprinter from the University of Florida, also failed a drug test in 1998. He was later cleared by a USATF drug panel.

In a sport in which so many stars have let down fans, it is difficult for athletes like Cherry to get the benefit of the doubt. It doesn't help that she has become much faster since she started her 2006 comeback. Heading into today's qualifying rounds, Cherry's time of 12.47 seconds leads the world.

Yeah, Mitchell was cleared, by the US governing body, but not by the IAAF.  Mitchell the of infamous:  "five bottles of beer and sex with his wife at least four times"  defense for high testosterone.  Although this article is a bit unclear, Mitchell admitted to doping during the Trevor Graham trial.  Cherry will always have a taint surrounding her (although she claims the + test was a vitamin prep)

"We've had athletes come back from suspension before, and I think the general public views them with some measure of skepticism, and probably rightfully so," Roe said. "There are people who will not forgive somebody who doesn't tell the truth once. That's why we have a system which allows people to come back into competition, because you don't know 100 percent that it was entirely the athlete's choice or the athlete's fault to do it."

Ask the athlete about doping: didn't do it, no one does.

Like so many athletes who have failed drug tests, Cherry is adamant that she didn't knowingly enhance her body with steroids.

"No, I did not use anything illegal on purpose, no," Cherry said. "I don't believe in that. I don't do that. ... I know in my heart I didn't do anything wrong. .... but I paid my dues and did what I had to do."

Perhaps sadder is that Cherry wants to push toward Gail Dever's world record in hurdling.   A (fomer) doper setting a world record...that adds to track's credibility doesn't it?

Cherry's dreams go beyond Beijing. She has her eye on Gail Devers' American record of 12.33, not far off her 12.44 personal record.

"My goal has been to really get close to that," she said. "That's just what's exciting to me is that I know I'm on track to do some big things."

Comments

[Roc A Fella Jenkins]

Hey you people should be a little less quick to judge people!It's easy to look down on others,when you are on the outside looking in.I am Damu Cherry's first cousin, and we stand by her 100%. If Damu is such a doper, why has she been an athlete all her life, without any help from performance enhancing drugs. She was an outstanding athlete at A.P. Leto High School, winning Ms.Falcon 3 years in a row, breaking and setting school records for 100 meter hurdles, just to name a few of her accomplishments. She also went on to the University of South Florida, to smash the competition setting the school record for 100 meter hurdles. So listen unless you have done real research on Damu Cherry not this crap you are reading over the internet then silence yourself. I guess my biggest question is how many times a week do you go to the gym? what you do for a living? and lastly how many school/local/or world records, have you set or broken? Unless you're Jackie Joyner or Gail Devers yourself, then you should have nothing to say. Also keep in mind that Damu comes from a huge family of athletes, her mother my aunt, now 60 years old, ran the boston/new york marathon until she was nearly in her 50's, and could probably run circles around most of you critics in the 50 yard dash. Hate to be Rude, but step off when it comes to the young lady above....Ms. Damu Cherry

[steroid nation]

Actually the story says how difficult it is to overcome a doping offense. There is nothing in this post that says Ms. Cherry doped or didn't, only that the substance found was a metabolite of nandrolone and that she was suspended.

[Alpha Nation]

Always remember karma, what go's around, comes around.....

[Karen & Shannon]

From my personal experience, Damu Cherry is an amazing athlete with high morals and incredible talent. With that said, why would she knowingly risk her dreams being she already has the God given talent?! She deserves to be not frowned upon but looked at as someone who has overcome the ultimate obstacle and is better than before!! You GO Damu! We love you and stand behind you 110%!! The DREAM IS NEAR!!! You're OUR Hero!

[Lisa]

Whether or not she knowingly took the steroids or not, she obviously is not now, and hasn't been for the past 3 years. If we were all tested to make sure we hadn't ever "cheated" in life, none of us would pass. Fact is, she is one of the fastest hurdlers in the world today, and no one can take that away from her!! GO DAMU!!

[Moz]

from Tampa Tribune 3 August 08:

Damu Cherry was a good hurdler on the Leto High track team, but never a state champion. And when she went on to compete for the University of South Florida in the event, she never won a conference title.

But when she lines up for her first race of the women's 100-meter hurdles Aug. 17 in the Beijing Olympic Games, Cherry will be ranked No. 2 in the world and favored to wind up on the medals podium - maybe on top of it wearing gold - after the finals are staged two days later.

She might not have been a high school or NCAA titlist, but now, at age 30, she is on the verge of being an Olympic champion.

So she wasn't a young great in a sport, took drugs (whether knowingly or not) and is now at the Olympics... would she be there without them?

[Methuselah]

Pleeeeeease! She cheated before. She's even faster now. Her coach was a doper (sadly I am also a Gator). Even if we ignore the physical signs, as it seems PC to do, all I can say is pleeeeeeeeeease.

[SaNaT]

I've personally trained with Damu and I was coached by Dennis Mitchell before I made it to UF. There hasn't been one instance where I thought she was doping nor has Dennis ever promoted it. She is a phenomenal athlete and she gives everything shes got everyday in practice. Dennis is also an amazing coach and brings the best out of his athletes.!! Put them together and what do you get? Do the Math!

[Methuselah]

"Do the math." What?
Here's an article that includes Dennis Mitchell's excuse when failed his drug test:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hruby/060801

"Drinking five bottles of beer and having sex with his wife four times the night before the test."

Hahaha. I hope he's a great coach, because he's a poor liar. :)
A cheater coaching a cheater in a man's body to run faster than when she was caught cheating. Is that what you call "math" ?