Athletics fans should lay off two-time drugs cheat Justin Gatlin and direct their ire at the sport’s governing body instead, according to former Olympic Champion Michael Johnson.

Justin Gatlin sent a message to Usain Bolt on Friday - both with his legs and his mouth. Gatlin lived up to the pre-season hype by winning the 100m in a world-leading 9.74 seconds in Doha.

Sprinter Justin Gatlin ran into a new row on Tuesday when he flew home on the eve of the Beijing World Challenge, claiming organisers told him they did not want him competing.

Organisers of the Beijing World Challenge have denied that they kicked out Justin Gatlin from their meeting and said they were 'perplexed' by the controversial sprinter's claim.

MARTIN SAMUEL: The world’s top sprinter this year is Justin Gatlin, on his shoulder is Tyson Gay. Both are tainted by drugs and UK Athletics would not issue invitations to either man for an event.

Justin Gatlin added the year's fastest 200m time to his resume at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting.  Gatlin equalled his lifetime best with his run of 19.68 seconds

Justin Gatlin insisted he was not thinking about beating Usain Bolt to gold at the World Championships later this year after another stunning win in the 100 metres.

Usain Bolt has rubbished reports that he is afraid to face Justin Gatlin. Bolt has had an injury-ravaged season and the pair are yet to meet in 2015 but Bolt is gunning for Gatlin at World Championships

MARTHA KELNER: Justin Gatlin can produce a nightmare scenario for advocates of clean sport by breaking Usain Bolt’s 100metres world record this summer, according to ex-sprinter John Regis.

Controversial Justin Gatlin set the stage for a world championship showdown with Usain Bolt when he won the 200 metres in a blazing 19.57 seconds at the U.S. trials in Oregon on Sunday

The credibility of Alberto Salazar’s defence against doping allegations has been further undermined by an interview he gave about a controversial incident involving Justin Gatlin in 2006.

Justin Gatlin easily beat two big-name rivals by clocking 9.75 seconds in the 100 metres at the Athletissima Diamond League race on Thursday.

Switzerland is renowned for being neutral but the country nailed its colours to the mast where drug cheats are concerned by hosting the dirtiest Diamond League race this century.

Next month’s World Championships men’s 100m final is in danger of rivalling the 1988 Olympic final in Seoul as the ‘Dirtiest Race in History’.

Justin Gatlin could win world championships and go undefeated for a second consecutive season but he would still not be ineligible for the sport's athlete of the year award.

Justin Gatlin accused British Athletics of hypocrisy after they refused to invite him to compete in the London Anniversary Games, despite paying other drugs cheats to appear.

American sprinter Justin Gatlin continued his fine form by clocking 9.78 to win the 100 metres at the Herculis Diamond League meet on Friday.

Usain Bolt blew away any fears about his fitness and fired a major warning to Justin Gatlin as he blasted to his fastest 100 metres of the year on his return to the Olympic Stadium on Friday night.

MARTHA KELNER AT THE OLYMPIC STADIUM: Usain Bolt allayed any concerns over his fitness, twice running 100m in 9.87 seconds at the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games.

Usain Bolt celebrated his first serious 100metres win of the season by celebrating in London. Bolt was spotted at swanky west London nightclub Libertines following his 9.87 second win.

On Sunday night the best 100m sprinters in the world will settle down on to their blocks in the iconic Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing, the scene of much heroics in the 2008 Olympics.

MATT LAWTON: Seb Coe has said he will feel ‘queasy’ should Justin Gatlin, or any other convicted drugs cheat, win gold at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

MARTHA KELNER IN BEIJING: Usain Bolt goes head to head with the two-time drug cheat over 100m and 200m at the World Championships in Beijing this weekend.

Usain Bolt turns 29 on Friday. There might be a modest slice of cake and a rendition of Happy Birthday from his Jamaican team-mates but otherwise the significance of the day will be ignored.

MARTHA KELNER IN BEIJING: The roll call of winners from the first round of the World Championships 100m was almost farcical with four of the seven previously serving drugs bans.

OLIVER HOLT: If Justin Gatlin wins, it will be a terrible indictment of a sport. If Usain Bolt wins, it will merely reinforce the idea that he is all that stands between athletics and oblivion.

Usain Bolt managed to survive a stuttering start to move into the World Championships 100m final in Beijing, setting up an enticing showdown with Justin Gatlin, who stormed through in his heat.

As Usain Bolt fulfilled his final media duties inside the Bird’s Nest stadium after winning 100m gold, with cleaners tidying around him and, a fan draped draped in the Jamaican flag screamed: ‘Yes Usain Bolt!'

American sprinter Justin Gatlin will refuse to speak to British media and the BBC in the future following 'hurtful attacks' and 'biased views' in reports having won silver in the 100m World Championship final.

'Good versus evil' is a step closer to resuming in the 200 metres at the World Championships in Beijing after Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin cruised into the semi-finals.

Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin set up the sequel to their world championship sprint showdown on Wednesday, both winning their semifinal heats in the 200 metres.

Justin Gatlin hopes the public will see him as a 'human being' rather than a drugs cheat after the World Championships. Gatlin finished second in the 100m and 200m in Beijing.

CHARLES SALE: Lord Coe’s unparalleled reputation as Britain’s leading sporting statesman is in danger of being tainted by his continued links with Nike.

Justin Gatlin is the 100m Diamond League champion after taking a closely-fought victory in Brussels at the final Diamond League meeting of the year.

JONATHAN MCEVOY: 20 years on from becoming the only man to claim an Olympic 200m and 400m double, Michael Johnson opens up on the problems facing his friend Lord Coe and British hopes in Rio.

USA's Justin Gatlin, 34, hopes to become the fastest man in the world, beating out rival sprinter Jamaican Usain Bolt. The New Yorker has been banned from the Olympics twice for doping

Usain Bolt and America’s Justin Gatlin have both won through their 100m semi-final heats to set-up an epic Olympic final later tonight.

Losing is one thing. Justin Gatlin didn't expect he'd get booed at the Olympic 100-metre final, too. He took silver for the United States, in Rio on Sunday, edged by rival Usain Bolt of Jamaica.

The parents of controversial US sprinter Justin Gatlin have rushed to his defense as the weight of being public enemy number one in the Olympic arena took its toll on him.

Lord Coe has admitted that athletics is losing the fight to ban drugs cheats for life after Justin Gatlin's 100 metres World Championship victory over Usain Bolt at the London Stadium.

Justin Gatlin was again cast as the pantomime villain by the crowd at the London Stadium on Sunday as he collected his 100m gold medal after beating Usain Bolt to re-gain his world title.

After finally earning his first Tour title on Sunday night, US PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas was quick to share the moment with his proud mum and dad, and then Tiger Woods.

Justin Gatlin is increasingly confident that Usain Bolt will do a U-turn on his retirement and return to the track for Tokyo 2020. Bolt walked away from athletics after the World Championships.

Track and field world champion Justin Gatlin is facing a new doping probe after his trainer and agent allegedly offered to provide performance enhancing drugs to undercover reporters.

American sprinting legend Justin Gatlin fired longtime coach Dennis Mitchell after the reigning 100m world champion was implicated in a doping scandal. Gatlin steadfastly denies doping.

The 22-year-old Brit stormed through on the line to record an impressive season's best of 10.04sec in driving rain, edging out the Chinese pair of Su Bingtian and Xie Zhenye.

EXCLUSIVE - RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: British Athletics will be spared the embarrassment of Justin Gatlin racing at its inaugural Athletics World Cup in London next month.

Jerome Boateng has been fined by Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich after crashing his Mercedes on the motorway while driving back from visiting his ill son.

29-year-old winger Costa featured under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich during his spell in Bavaria, but has largely fallen out of favour in Turin this season.

Former Manchester United and Tottenham star Dimitar Berbatov has urged Timo Werner to sign for Bayern Munich instead of Liverpool this summer. He has impressed for RB Leipzig.