INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Olympic and world 400-meter champion LaShawn Merritt will be on the U.S. roster for worlds after USA Track and Field waived a rule that would have prevented him from competing because he missed national championships while serving the end of a doping ban.
Merritt is serving a 21-month doping ban that ends July 27 and was shortened by three months to allow him to be eligible in time for worlds in August. The international track federation grants defending champions automatic spots at worlds. But a USATF rule states every athlete must compete at nationals to be on the U.S. team unless granted a waiver.
The USATF board took the recommendation of the chief of sport performance, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, who said Merritt wouldn’t take anyone else’s roster position.
