American sprinter Justin Gatlin has said that he will not speak to the British media for the rest of this month's World Athletics Championships.
The 33-year-old was beaten by Usain Bolt in the 100m final on Sunday, after entering the race as the favourite.
However, the build-up to the event was dominated by Gatlin's history of doping, and his agent has said that his client has been hurt by the criticism.
"Justin, as well as I, feel that the British media and journalists have been extremely unkind to him," his agent Renaldo Nehemiah told The Guardian.
"There's been nothing positive said about him now for some time. Every characterisation is solely about doping and vilifying him.
"So, to maintain his own dignity and self respect, he feels it best not to speak to them. It's very unfortunate, but he's been hurt tremendously by these attacks. And as human beings, we should be better than that. The BBC in particular should report without lacing their comments and reporting with biased views."
Gatlin had gone 29 races unbeaten before his defeat in Sunday's final.
Alex Meyers
