Olympic Track & Field

[mapei]

I love watching Bolt - that has to be the most exciting 20 seconds in sports. Wow.

[wiscodevil]

http://www.beijing2008.zideo.nl/inde...3453526d31773d

[DevilAlumna]

<cynicism spawned by too many track & field scandals>
Is it too early to start speculating about possible doping?
</cynicism>

[YmoBeThere]

<cynicism spawned by too many track & field scandals>
Is it too early to start speculating about possible doping?
</cynicism>

Nope, that started shortly before the 100M Final.

[roywhite]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/drugs-...911718313.html

What does Victor Conte (he of the Balco scandals) know?

[roywhite]

Arrgghh...

Men and women USA 4x100m relay teams dropped the baton in the prelims!

No matchup with Jamaica in the finals now.

[JasonEvans]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/sp...22longman.html

An interesting NYTimes article with an author who says he simply cannot trust Bolt and the other track stars. He's been fooled too many times before.

--Jason "I hope Bolt is clean, but his numbers are hard to believe and Jamaica does not have its own drug testing agency" Evans

[JasonEvans]

By the way, Team USA's track success got a real boost from the men's 400 today. All 3!

[roywhite]

By the way, Team USA's track success got a real boost from the men's 400 today. All 3!

Thank goodness for our 400 meter runners, both hurdlers and flat.

It may be that all of our men's gold medals in track come in the 400m hurdles, 400m run, and 4x400 relay. There are some additional events left, and the decathlon looks promising, but this has been a majorly down Olympic year for our men's track program.

[Mal]

I'd like to believe Renaldo Nehemiah's thoughts from the article Jason linked above, that Bolt was so exceptional as a 14- or 15-year-old that his current accomplishments are all perfectly predictable. But it's hard to believe, I guess, given how jaded we've become of track and field accomplishments generally. I mean, Jamaica, a nation of what, a couple million? has destroyed everyone in these Olympics in sprinting. They've been gaining on the U.S. for awhile, of course, and the U.S. team has underperformed a decent bit, what with baton drops and hitting hurdles and the like, but still. I guess I'll believe it's happening naturally until proven otherwise, but it is hard to believe.

That said, it's hard not to love the fact that Jamaica, the most laid back place in the western hemisphere, the island that was known heretofore primarily for Bob Marley, dreadlocks and ganja, is home to the fastest people on the planet. The two reputations are hard to square with one another.

Also, I think it's a safe bet that if he wanted to, Bolt could be the only man ever (I assume, but I don't know track history well at all) to hold the world record in the 100, 200 and 400 at some point in their career. And he could hold all three at the same time.

[YmoBeThere]

Looks like Wariner shouldn't have switched coaches...

[mapei]

it's hard not to love the fact that Jamaica, the most laid back place in the western hemisphere, the island that was known heretofore primarily for Bob Marley, dreadlocks and ganja, is home to the fastest people on the planet.[/I].

I couldn't agree more. I love it when small/poor countries kick the rich guys' and girls' butts. Go Jamaica!

[hc5duke]

http://www.beijing2008.zideo.nl/inde...3453526d31773d

Summary? All I get is:

Deze video staat achter ons famillie filter. Het famillie filter is aan of uit te zetten voor geregistreerde gebruikers.

Looks like some sort of a family filter, are you trying to link a home sex tape or something?

[Lavabe]

Okay, so NBC gives us a decent color announcer in Ato Boldon. The BBC gets Michael Johnson.

Why didn't NBC get Michael Johnson?

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Lavabe]

<cynicism spawned by too many track & field scandals>
Is it too early to start speculating about possible doping?
</cynicism>

It is never too early to speculate, especially in track, cycling, swimming, and weightlifting (see the "All Drug Olympics" weightlifting sketch with Phil Hartman on SNL).

Any idea how many athletes have been caught so far at these Olympics?

[YmoBeThere]

Okay, so NBC gives us a decent color announcer in Ato Boldon. The BBC gets Michael Johnson.

Why didn't NBC get Michael Johnson?

Cheers,
Lavabe

The golden shoes? I haven't heard MJ commentate so don't know who got the better deal.

I have been glad to see the USA getting some medals in T&F(I love to see the Men's 400M sweep as that was the event I was forced to run) but overall it has been a little disappointing.

[DukieInKansas]

It is never too early to speculate, especially in track, cycling, swimming, and weightlifting (see the "All Drug Olympics" weightlifting sketch with Phil Hartman on SNL).

Any idea how many athletes have been caught so far at these Olympics?

The number I have heard is 4 during but quite a few prior to the start of the games. Over 10 from one country prior to the games, I believe.

[Tom B.]

It is never too early to speculate, especially in track, cycling, swimming, and weightlifting (see the "All Drug Olympics" weightlifting sketch with Phil Hartman on SNL).

Link.

[sue71, esq]

Ok posted this in another thread...

Well it appears that the entire US track & field program is going to be up for review.



And, I'm sorry if this is offending anyone, but it's just funny... Pat Forde called it Dropapalooza.

[dukie8]

It is never too early to speculate, especially in track, cycling, swimming, and weightlifting (see the "All Drug Olympics" weightlifting sketch with Phil Hartman on SNL).

Any idea how many athletes have been caught so far at these Olympics?

it's not going to be a lot because most athletes aren't stupid enough to show up with PEDs in their system. the testing during the games is more for pr than anything else. the real testing needs to be done in the off season when the athletes are busy doing massive workouts and need extra help with the recovery.

jamaica does not test its athletes (unlike the usa) so anything that you see done by their athletes in these games should be viewed with an extreme eye of skepticism. i'm sorry but 0.5 second drops in 100m and 200m times year-over-year by many athletes all from the same country with no testing has never been accomplished before without PEDs. is there any reason to think anything else here? when bolt and the rest of them volunteer to set aside their blood for future testing, i'll then become a believer. phelps and dara torres already do that and it basically eliminates any taint of PEDs.