Masback facing big mess

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — I do not envy USA Track & Field CEO Craig Masback.

Seven years ago to the month, Masback took over an organization in turmoil. It was said at the time that Masback’s marketing potential — in a sport severely lacking marketing prowess — got him the job.

However, it has been Masback’s Yale law school training and years at a D.C. law firm that has guided the head of the governing body for track and field, long distance running and race-walking the past few years.

This week, Masback has been on the hot seat, firmly at the center of the drug mania that attracted much of the attention of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials here.

Six athletes who qualified to compete will be dealing with trials of another kind after they run. Tim Montgomery, who owns the 100 meter world record, and five other athletes with doping accusations pending against them — sprinters Chryste Gaines and Michelle Collins, 400 meter specialists twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison and 40-year-old distance runner Regina Jacobs — will be allowed to compete, Masback said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

“The law of the United States is quite clear,” Masback said. “It says unless someone has received a full due process hearing and found to be ineligible, they must be allowed to compete. … [Our athletes] understand that they live in a country where there are very extensive protections through the law of the United States, the Amateur Sports Act, to all athletes who are charged with any eligibility matters. And we have been saying from the start of this that the sooner the guilty are identified and the innocent could be cleared the better.”

Track and field’s world governing body also said it will not intervene to suspend American athletes facing doping allegations unless there is evidence they failed drug tests. Though none of them failed drug tests, Montgomery, Gaines, Collins and Alvin Harrison have been notified by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that they could face lifetime bans in the BALCO steroid investigation. All four are contesting the accusations.

Problem is that some of these six athletes are bound to make the Olympic team and compete in Athens before their cases are resolved. If found guilty, the athletes could be stripped of any Olympic medals. That raises the possibility that another American athlete — supposedly clean — could be denied a chance to go to Athens.

That’s the risk Masback has to take. The lawyer in him has no problem sticking to the letter of the law. But should that court of law determine after the fact that one or all of the Steroid Six were guilty, Masback’s greatest nightmare begins.

Masback was asked if he would be relieved if none of the six accused qualified for the Athens Games.

Masback, ever the diplomat, politely declined to answer.

You can just imagine what he really wanted to say.

Trials notes — Two area contenders in the 800 were knocked out of the trials in the first round, the quarterfinals.

Bryan Woodward, who grabbed the third and final spot for the 2000 Sydney Games four years ago, failed to get out of Friday’s prelims. The Georgetown graduate was 28th out of 29 runners with a 1:50.96. He ran 1:46.09 in the finals four years ago.

Richard Smith, who competed in the shadow of Reston’s South Lakes High star Alan Webb while in high school, dropped from contention in the first heat with his 1:48.62, 18th best on the day. The top 16 athletes qualified for the semis.

Meb Keflezighi and Dan Browne both qualified for the Olympics in Friday’s 10,000 after earning a trip to Athens in February’s Olympic marathon trials. They both seemed sure in February that they would run the marathon, so it is possible fifth-place finisher in the 10,000, former Washingtonian Chris Graff, could get the call. Abdi Abdirahman was the third and final 10,000 qualifier.

Familiar area racer Jen Rhines of St. Davids, Pa., and Katherine Newberry of Williamsburg moved to the finals of the 5,000 tomorrow. Rhines has made the Olympic team in the marathon.