Collins, a male sprinter from the small Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis, was dropped from competing in the Olympic 100-meter final heat after meeting with his wife and spending time with her in a hotel.
“What am I supposed to do? I’m going home. My accreditation was canceled. I am not walking away, I was pushed out,” Collins told the BBC.
St. Kitts officials said they had not heard from Collins for three days while he was in London and said they had given him permission to see his wife.
“I needed to get away, to focus, because this is the last best chance I would have of a medal,” Collins said.
“I was told I could only spend one night. Initially, I expected her to be part of the team as coach, because she’s not only my wife but assistant coach. She assists me in coaching two of the other guys in the team, Jason Rogers and Lestrod Roland.”
Collins, who won the 2003 World 100-meter title, said this marks the end of his international career.
St. Kitts sent another one of its sprinters home during the 2012 London Olympics. Tameka Williams, the only woman competing for the island nation, was sent home for a potential drug violation but did not test positive for a banned substance.
The St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee said she admitted using a substance “clearly outside the medical code,” reported The Guardian.
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