U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay was suspended before the World Championships last summer for failing a drug test.

AP

Last July, U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay held the fastest 100-meter time in the world. He appeared primed to give world record holder Usain Bolt a run for the crown at the 2013 world championships in Moscow the following month. But instead of discussing his acceleration phase, Gay struggled through sobs as he told reporters that he'd failed a drug test.

"I don't have a sabotage story," Gay said, after he'd been alerted to his positive test by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). "I don't have any lies. I don't have anything to say to make this seem like it was a mistake or it was on USADA's hands, someone playing games ... I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down."

Since then, the name of that someone, and the substance that triggered Gay's positive test, have remained the subject of speculation among fans and other sprinters, who refer obliquely to "the Tyson situation."

People with knowledge of USADA's ongoing investigation have told ProPublica that the sprinter tested positive for a steroid or steroid precursor believed to have come from a cream given to him by Atlanta chiropractor and anti-aging specialist Clayton Gibson III.

The saga of the nation's top sprinter likely done in by an obscure cream delivered by an anti-aging practitioner provides a view of the slipshod medical underworld of top-level sport, in which athletes risk their reputations in the enduring hunt for any competitive edge.

Time and again, premier athletes have turned to practitioners who employ novel or unproven methods. This can range from remedy peddlers with no credentials whatsoever -- like the former male stripper who was plying NFL and professional golf stars with pseudo-mystical deer antler spray -- to those who have invented and certified their own medical specialty, like the founder of "chiropractic neurology," who was tasked with helping former National Hockey League MVP Sidney Crosby recover from concussions.

This hunt for any performance boost only intensifies as athletes reach their 30s, old age in explosive sports.

Says a former All-Pro NFL lineman who claims he was approached by Gibson, but declined to become his patient: "The culture now is: if you don't have all this extra stuff, you're not winning."

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Cheat Sheet: The Tyson Gay file