Gatlin's appeal denied

EUGENE, Ore. - Justin Gatlin's pursuit of Olympic gold in Beijing is really over now. His fight against the powers that banned him from the Games - well, that will be more like a marathon than a sprint.

The defending Olympic 100-meter champion lost his appeal yesterday to run in the United States Olympic track trials this weekend and said he will not take the case to the Supreme Court.

But he will continue to seek monetary and other damages from the US Olympic Committee, the US Anti-Doping Agency, and other defendants, saying they discriminated against him because his first doping violation, in 2001, was for taking prescribed medication to treat attention deficit disorder.

In the lawsuit, Gatlin said banning him from the Olympic trials violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Gatlin hasn't shown he meets the "applicable standard for such an injunction."