World Athletic Championships.

[Chimune]

Only two questions really:

1. is Michelle Jenneke involved at all?
2. what time is the 200m final?

[944fan]

ewenm said:

The lack of any sort of remorse rankles with many.

That is a big part of the problem. He also comes across as a total tosser.

I think the biggest issue is the fact he has done it TWICE and had reduced bans because he helped the doping authorities. I don't understand how he can claim he was set up by a massage therapist who rubbed testosterone into to his butt but then get reduced ban for helping. Surely you will need to know something about the doping to be able to help? Also his coach (or specifically his coaches athletes) have pretty tarnished records.

I guess as well the fact that his times are dropping when he is now in his early thirties (which I believe hasn't happened before) makes people suspicious that he is either still doping or still seeing benefit from his previous doping episodes.

All in all I have no sympathy for him. Don't like being called a drugs cheat? Hey guess what, don't cheat.

[ocrx8]

Liliya Shobukhova has also jumped on the bandwagon of getting a reduced ban by helping the authorities. I hope the attitude to such things changes now Coe is in charge.

[MiniMan64]

ewenm said:

MiniMan64 said:

In other news, how the hell can you run in someone else's lane and not get disqualified?

As long as you don't impede the other athlete(s) and don't run a shorter distance than you're meant to, then it's usually ignored.

I kind of think that's a stupid rule, what's the point in having lanes? If you go out of yours, you're out of the race. She is a pretty experienced runner after all!

As for the drug cheats, I'm all for second chances but when some have been busted, banned, return to the sport and get busted again then they should be gone for good. It all seems a little lenient to me.

[mcelliott]

Two more Kenyans done, no surprise there. I for one wouldn't mind too much if Gatlin won the 200m, just to show up the absurdity of the sport. I thought Steve Cram's commentary on the 100m final was particularly cringeworthy. What's the BBC's love-in with Mr Bolt? It's always slightly puzzling when someone who is head and shoulders above equally talented and yet doped athletes, but apparently is clean. The sport is in total and utter denial. The sooner it has its Armstrong moment, the better.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/kenyan-runne...

[johnxjsc1985]

mcelliott said:

Two more Kenyans done, no surprise there. I for one wouldn't mind too much if Gatlin won the 200m, just to show up the absurdity of the sport. I thought Steve Cram's commentary on the 100m final was particularly cringeworthy. What's the BBC's love-in with Mr Bolt? It's always slightly puzzling when someone who is head and shoulders above equally talented and yet doped athletes, but apparently is clean. The sport is in total and utter denial. The sooner it has its Armstrong moment, the better.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/kenyan-runne...

they are so much in denial.Just take a look at the record books and in particular the women's and you have to ask the question about clean athletes.the womans 100m record is as far back as 1988

[944fan]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

He shouldn't be allowed to race.

The problem is though that you cannot ban someone for life, because it wont hold legally. IANAL but something to do with restriction of trade. The rules are poor and he shouldn't be allowed to race but the IAAF don't have much choice.

On the other hand they didn't have the half his ban because he "helped".

I don't agree that its idiotic to be judgmental. He cheated, twice. Yes he was punished but not by much. The law is an ass, but so is he. He is probably still gaining now from the drugs he took. A recent study showed that the effects can last for years.*

On an aside it is a fking terrible state of affairs when 45% of the mens 100m finalists at a major championships are former dopers.

I agree that building Bolt up as the savior is wrong. I believe he is clean, and I hope to god he is, but if it ever came out now that he hadn't done something wrong, where would that leave athletics?

The final word on Gatlin. He still has un-answered questions. How can a 33 year old be dropping his times when most that age slow down. Quote for Dai Green a while back

"It shows one of two things: either he's still taking performance-enhancing drugs to get the best out of him at his advanced age, or the ones he did take are still doing a fantastic job," says Dai Greene, Britain's 2011 400m hurdles world champion. "Because there is no way he can still be running that well at this late point in his career.
"After having years on the sidelines, being unable to train or compete, it doesn't really add up. 9.77 is an incredibly fast time. You only have to look at his performances. I don't believe in them."

• ETA = "Athletes have long suspected there might be a long-term effect of doping - something akin to the muscle memory that allows technical motor skills to be retained even after lying dormant for years.

Research from scientists at the University of Oslo from October 2013 appears to give those hunches weighty credence.
"I think it is likely that effects could be lifelong or at least lasting decades in humans," Kristian Gundersen, Professor of Physiology at the University of Oslo, told BBC Sport."

[anonymous-user]

ash73 said:

I think Cram's commentary is fantastic, he's clearly disgusted by cheats which is the right attitude, imo. And I like that they mention athletes' dope convictions during the lineup, as it's difficult to keep track.

Bolt has been blowing everyone away since he was a kid, and you can see why just looking at him.

Yep-Bolt won the world junior championships (for under 20 year olds) at the age of 15-which no-one else has ever done. I'm not sure anyone is 'equally talented' to him.

He's also fundamentally diffeent in that he's a tall man who can start and get going without losing too much ground-a technical advantage which allows him to use his natural height advantage and top end speed.

[mcelliott]

cookie118 said:

ash73 said:

I think Cram's commentary is fantastic, he's clearly disgusted by cheats which is the right attitude, imo. And I like that they mention athletes' dope convictions during the lineup, as it's difficult to keep track.

Bolt has been blowing everyone away since he was a kid, and you can see why just looking at him.

Yep-Bolt won the world junior championships (for under 20 year olds) at the age of 15-which no-one else has ever done. I'm not sure anyone is 'equally talented' to him.

He's also fundamentally diffeent in that he's a tall man who can start and get going without losing too much ground-a technical advantage which allows him to use his natural height advantage and top end speed.

No doubting his class as a junior, however he improved his 100m best from 10.03 to 9.69 in one year. Hard to explain that one.

[MiniMan64]

This is the saddest think about doping in the sport. Everyone questions everything and when someone really exceptional excels people will doubt their talent.

It could go on and on, Ennis did pretty well seeing as she only just had a kid. Must be doping. Rutherford only wins major championships, must pop something extra special now and again.

[aeropilot]

944fan said:

He shouldn't be allowed to race.

The problem is though that you cannot ban someone for life, because it wont hold legally. IANAL but something to do with restriction of trade. The rules are poor and he shouldn't be allowed to race but the IAAF don't have much choice.

But do they...?

I can see the legal issues with restriction of trade, for things like Diamond League etc.,etc, but surely they could be banned for life from major championships, such as Olympics, Worlds, Europeans etc) on the basis they are running for a medal, not a financial reward as such....?

[272BHP]

ash73 said:

I think Cram's commentary is fantastic, he's clearly disgusted by cheats which is the right attitude, imo. And I like that they mention athletes' dope convictions during the lineup, as it's difficult to keep track.

Bolt has been blowing everyone away since he was a kid, and you can see why just looking at him.

Cram knows the score but he is just telling the public (and the bosses who pay his wages) what they want to hear.

I would bet my life savings on Bolt being a doper. why? 9.58. Has anyone run sub 9.90 drug free? doubtful I would say. In an event that times are shaved off in microseconds a 9.58 is just a ridiculous jump in performance.

[johnxjsc1985]

272BHP said:

I would bet my life savings on Bolt being a doper.

If his lawyers see you posting stuff like that it may well cost you.
have a go at confirmed dopers and have suspicions but you cant just come out like that without evidence.
Have you seen his results since he was a kid he didnt just appear from nowhere.

[john2443]

KJT in the 800 really did look like she didn't give a toss and was just jogging along at the back...until you check her time 2:50.73, that's 5:43 min miling which is a bit better than a gentle jog.

She looks OK so far in the Long Jump, fingers crossed.

[johnxjsc1985]

mcelliott said:

No doubting his class as a junior, however he improved his 100m best from 10.03 to 9.69 in one year. Hard to explain that one.

teenagers have different growth rates he was sub 20 for 200m over 10 years ago. If that was his improvement he hasnt done much in the last 10 years then has he.
I tend to look at the muscle definition and the leaness of the body and a madness in the eyes ,remember Ben Johnson.
Incidentally just seen the SA Girl Casta Semenya ? coming in last in the 800 m now that is a story and a former world champion as well.

[johnxjsc1985]

PB for Clarke with a huge PB now I like to think thats just sheer effort in a major championship.
By the way what has happend to the USA.

[272BHP]

When people talk about genetic freaks it is not just physicality that matters it is also how responsive they are to certain drugs. Some can get 80% of the effect for a 1/4 of the dose.

Too many smoking guns with Jamaican sprinters and the whole sprinting community over there for me to believe there is not still a big problem.

Evidence? there is loads of evidence just no drugs test fail - but the top top athletes have too much invested in them for anything to come to light or for stupid mistakes to be made.

[stephen300o]

Felix looked imperious, beautiful runner.

[944fan]

Anyone see the Kenyan javelin thrower yesterday? Learnt to throw by watching Youtube videos. Nearly threw it out of the park. Beat Backley's commonwealth record and beat silver by 4m.

[johnxjsc1985]

Wow Bolt is just an animal he cruised his way home the last 50m.