Cam Levins was a runaway winner of the men’s 5000m high performance run Sunday, June 14 at the Portland Track Festival.
The Nike Oregon Project athlete, from Merville, won in 13:20.68, almost 10 full seconds ahead of runner-up David Torrence (13:30.35. The race was held at Lewis and Clark College.
Levins was one of the Nike Oregon Project athletes to face reporters’ questions about allegations of doping and unethical training leveled against the Oregon Project and coach Alberto Salazar and runner Galen Rupp by former assistant coach Steve Magness, elite runners Adam and Kara Goucher, and massage therapist John Stiner.
None of the allegations have referenced Levins.
“It’s hard for me to address them specifically just because I’ve only been a part of the group a couple of years and it seems all the allegations are before that time,” the 2014 Commonwealth Games 10000m bronze medallist said.
“I can comment on Galen [Rupp, who has been accused of taking testosterone from the age of 16, a claim he denies] and Alberto. They have been very trustworthy. There is nothing I have ever seen that I would attribute to any of these allegations.
“I’ve never been pushed in anything considered a grey area that a lot of people have sort of implied. I trust them. They have never given me any reason not to. I know Alberto and Galen are doing whatever they can to dispute these allegations and prove them wrong. I trust them to do that,” Levins told reporters.
Salazar, a legendary U.S. distance runner, has yet to make his anticipated public rebuttal of the accusations levelled against him.
Levins is preparing for the 2015 Pan-American Games which run July 10-26 in Toronto.
