Akheem Gauntlett clears air
Akheem Gauntlett, who abruptly withdrew from the 45-member Jamaican team for the World Championships, which begin today, has insisted that he did so because of personal reasons and not because of being arrested in the US in June.
In a media release yesterday, Gauntlett admitted that he was arrested in the US in June, but explained that it was a misunderstanding.
He said: “It is true I was arrested in June, but it has nothing to do with my withdrawal from the World Championships team to Moscow, Russia.
“I was arrested having accompanied a friend to the store. He was caught on camera shoplifting. It was three of us and we were all arrested. However, I have since gone through all the legal processes and I have been cleared of all charges.”
Gauntlett noted that he has travelled to Jamaica for the National Championships and he also represented Jamaica at the CAC Games in Mexico, since the incident, “so this unfortunate incident could hardly be the reason I pulled out of Moscow”, he asserted.
“I love representing my country and it is a major disappointment for me not to be helping to add to Jamaica’s great World Championships legacy, but I can assure you that this is not the reason I withdrew.