Now sprinting for a new country, Alvin Harrison is attempting to make a fresh start.
The 35-year-old Harrison just recently became a citizen of the Dominican Republic, allowing him to run at the world championships this week.
His tarnished past, though, is something he knows he can't escape.
Harrison, a member of two U.S. Olympic squads, accepted a four-year ban in 2004 after admitting he used performance-enhancing drugs. His twin brother, Calvin, tested positive for a banned stimulant in 2003 and was suspended for two years.
The siblings were part of the 4x400-meter relay team that won gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Later, those medals were stripped by the International Olympic Committee in the aftermath of Antonio Pettigrew's admission that he was doping at the time.
Alvin Harrison's suspension ended in October 2008 and now he's trying to move on.
"I paid more than my debt," said Harrison, who was also part of the U.S. relay team that won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games. "For a regular offense, there's a two-year suspension. However, I received four, which is unfair. That's the way they called it."
He claimed curiosity led him down the doping trail as he tried to come back from an injury.
"Curiosity didn't kill the cat, but it got me suspended," Harrison said. "It (performance-enhancers) didn't do anything for me. I just got bigger, I did not run faster. For me, it was null and void."
Harrison said he's cut off contact with Victor Conte, the central figure in the wide-ranging BALCO scandal that enveloped several top-level athletes.
"Those were a lot of people I trusted and with trust there was deceit," Harrison said. "That's how I got involved with the situation. It started with an injury. I was told of this substance that would help me heal faster. My general knowledge of steroids were syringes and pills. Due to the fact it was in a small container with oil, I didn't think much of it. That's how I got involved."
Now, he's picking up his career again _ at an age when most sprinters are shutting it down.
He was talked into trying out for the squad by good friend and Olympic gold medal winning hurdler Felix Sanchez, who's of Dominican descent. Harrison's wife also is from there.
In April, Harrison won his first national Dominican title in the 400. And while he didn't make it out of the first round of the event on Tuesday, he plans to run on the relay team.
"This was my first major competition in four years," said Harrison, who still retains his U.S. citizenship and has a house in Monterey, California. "Right now, I just have to (work) on my competition sharpness."
So, was it easier making the Dominican team?
"The U.S. has a great depth of runners in the 400 meters, no doubt," said Harrison, an Olympic silver medal winner in the event in Sydney. "It's a little easier."
Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt said he has no issues with dopers returning to the blocks _ as long as they're contrite.
With Harrison, Merritt holds no grudges.
"He's competing. Evidently, he did what he had to do," Merritt said. "He's feeling good, he's feeling ready."
Just how long Harrison remains in track is still undecided.
"In all honesty, I'm looking at this year, next year and after that we're going to take it one day at a time," he said.
As for his past, Harrison is hoping it stays there.
"All that stuff is finished and over," Harrison said. "You learn your lesson. It's life. Right now, I look forward to competing and doing well again."
