Somewhere between the first IAAF world championships that I covered in 1991 to the one going on now in Osaka, I underwent a transformation when it came to athletes and doping.

A bit naive and surely an optimist, I had believed that until an athlete tested positive for a banned substance, we should give them the benefit of the doubt.

Unfortunately, sadly, that's just not possible anymore.

The image of Kelli White and her bold-faced lies about medication for a sleep disorder after her subsequently annulled sprint double in Paris pushed me to the edge. The BALCO scandal completed the job.

Can anyone be trusted? Is every gold-medal effort an honest one? Is every one tainted?

My faith has been boosted by the strong stand IAAF president Lamine Diack has been taking on increasing the length of drug bans and his openly labeling of miscreants as "cheats" in his address at the opening ceremony.

It seems that the governing body is finally coming to the realization that, like Major League Baseball and Barry Bonds, that for every world record set, the sport is hurt much more by every "Say it ain't so, Justin?" incident.

The burden, however, is not just on the IAAF. The athletes have a stake in this, too. This is their livelihood and credibility is the foundation for making the sport lucrative.

Enter American 400-meter champion Dee Dee Trotter.

Amid the bangles and spangles that athletes like to wear while competing--Trotter herself has a necklace with "400m" in diamonds--the 24-year-old sports a seemingly plain white wristband.

But the words on that band could have an impact that outweighs a gold medal.

"Test me I'm clean," it reads, and includes three Hs for "Hard work, Honesty, Honor."

Trotter, using 10,000 dollars of her own money, started her own foundation last autumn, appropriately enough called "Test Me I'm Clean," to raise anti-doping awareness among young athletes.

"I wanted to make a change, not just in track and field, but in all sports," Trotter said. "High school kids are using steroids at an alarming rate and as an athlete, that disappointed me."

Trotter took the biggest step toward raising awareness of her cause by winning the women's 400 at the U.S. championships in June.

Trotter helps spread the word by addressing high school groups. She said she has given out over 700 T-shirts and 4,000 wrist bands, including dozens in the stands an hour after her race at the U.S. championships.

The victory gained attention because world No. 1 Sanya Richards finished fourth and failed to make the U.S. team in the event for the current IAAF world championships in Osaka.

That helped draw funding for the foundation and Trotter added another 10,000 dollars to the till by placing fifth in the 400 final on Wednesday night. She'll likely add some more in the 4x400 relay.

"We're not trying to make a profit, we're trying to make a difference," Trotter said.

(Aug. 31, 2007)