Carmelita Jeter has defended her relationship with the banned agent Mark Block.
The former coach was handed a 10-year suspension in 2009 for his part in the BALCO scandal, which involved the use of banned, performance-enhancing substances by professional athletes.
Having just won an Olympic bronze medal in the women's 200m final last night, American sprinter Jeter gave her backing to a man that she describes as a "close friend".
"I don't know how some people are raised, but I was raised to always be friends with someone and have loyalty with people," she told reporters.
"If he got in trouble for whatever he got in trouble for, that does not mean that I don't still care about him."
Jeter also won a silver medal in the women's 100m.
