Beppe Grillo retires from athletics, denies doping allegations behind his decision

Malta’s top sprinter, Beppe Grillo, has announced his retirement from the sport, citing that he no longer was ‘passionate about the sport’ and rebuffed any allegations of failing a doping test.

Grillo is regarded as Malta’s leading sprinter as he holds the national records in the 100m, and last year won the gold medal in the 200m at the Games of the Small States of Europe that were held in Andorra.

In a statement on his social media, Grillo said that he was initially not going to make public his intention to retire from the sport, but was forced to speak out after he was accused of quitting the sport due to doping allegations.

The Times of Malta has spoken to reliable sources who confirmed that the allegations of doping on Grillo are completely unfounded.

“Initially, I did not intend to make a public statement announcing my retirement from my athletic career,” Grillo wrote.

“However, some individuals have attempted to damage my reputation as well as that of my coach, by accusing me of stepping away due to doping allegations.

“I would like to clarify that my decision to stop was solely because I was no longer passionate about the sport and believed it was time to move on.

“It is ridiculous that certain people would go such lengths to create harmful rumours, not only about myself and my coach, but also affecting everyone who supported my journey.

“I want to reassure everyone that throughout my entire career, all of my results were achieved without the use of any substances.”

In reaction to his statement, Grillo’s coach Steve Camilleri, publicly thanked Grillo for the faith he showed in him.

“Now that @beppegrillo25 has made his retirement public, I want to say a sincere thank you to him,” Camilleri wrote.

“Thank you for trusting me over the past 3 seasons. If it was not for you, I genuinely would not have started coaching.

“What we achieved together will always stay with me for the rest of my life, what a crazy story I have to tell to everyone – you becoming an Olympian and the Fasterst person in Maltese history under my guidance is something I’ll always be proud of, and grateful to have had the opportunity to have shared it with you.

“Wish you nothing but success and happiness in whatever you decide to do.@