Gaines and losses

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EUGENE, Ore. -- Sprinter Chryste Gaines, who served a two-year ban after being implicated in the BALCO investigation, made it past the preliminary round of the 100-meter dash Friday but was eliminated in the quarterfinal after running an 11.24.

She intends to continue running. ‘Yeah, why not?’ said Gaines, who used her enforced time off to get an MBA at Kennesaw (Ga.) State and is an academic advisor at Georgia Tech.

Gaines, 37, also said she doesn’t care if people say she’s slower now because she’s no longer taking performance-enhancing drugs. She never tested positive but was implicated as a user by BALCO founder Victor Conte and user-turned-informant Kelli White.

‘I’m slower because I had two years out of the sport,’ said Gaines, part of the champion 400-meter relay at the 1996 Atlanta Games and the bronze-medal-winning relay at Sydney. ‘Each year compiles on the one before it. Being out of it for two years is a long time. It’s a lifetime for some. It’s a career for some.’

-- Helene Elliott