CJ Ujah: ‘I made a mistake, I’m not a cheat’

British sprinter said after receiving 22-month ban

Chijindu ‘CJ’ Ujah has told the Guardian he is not a cheat after the Athletics Intergrity Unit, AIU, banned him for 22 months on Monday albeit the body found him not to have breached track and field’s doping rules on purpose.

“Obviously, I made a mistake,” Ujah told The Guardian. “But people mistakes. I am not a cheat.

“I think complacency set in. During the (coronavirus) pandemic I relied a lot on Amazon, rather than using the people and resources around me. It was just convenient, with next-day delivery. And I didn’t think anything was wrong with it.”

Ujah was part of the British quartet, along with Zharnel Hughes, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Richard Kilty, which missed out on gold to Italy in Tokyo by 0.01 seconds.

“You know what? I wish I had been tested right before the Olympics, so that I never went,” Ujah added.

“That way, I would never have put these other three guys, my team-mates, through what they went through as well as myself.”

Kilty, according to The Guardian said he would never be able to forgive his former team-mate.

“What he (Ujah) has done has been reckless,” Kilty said. “Everything has been a team effort to get to that position to be part of the British 4×100 strike four.

“Now he’s made that mistake I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive him because me, Zharnel and Nethaneel have lost a medal at the hands of his mistakes.”

Responding to Kilty’s comments, Ujah said: “Reckless is a harsh word. I saw the criticism from Kilty and I can’t blame him.

“He’s got a family. He’s got kids. So I do sympathise with him and understand the position he’s coming from.”

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