RIO DE JANEIRO — Two leading American track and field athletes voiced their disappointment in not being able to compete against Russian athletes, many of whom were banned from the Summer Games following a damning report outlining the country’s state-sponsored doping program.
“As an athlete, you always want to compete against the best,” said Devon Allen, who finished first in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic team trials. “But I don’t make the rules. I just kind of show up and compete. So I can’t say whether it’s good or bad.”
Said pole vaulter Sam Kendricks: “I am certainly unhappy that several of my Russian friends weren’t able to compete, and I have no doubt that they would compete fairly.