- 2 Jun 08, 03:14 PM
Usain Bolt's insane bolt in New York on Saturday was undoubtedly the international sports story of the weekend.
On that much, we all agreed.
What this morning's news meeting could not agree on, however, was whether this story was a joyous example of sport's ability to amaze or a depressing case of its ability to dismay.
But that debate did not rage between two factions (the optimists and the cynics, or the naïve and the worldly wise?) in the office, it raged inside every individual's head and heart: I want to believe this guy but I've been lied to too many times.
On Friday I wrote about how far athletics has fallen down America's sporting agenda. The candle that the sport's loyal band of US supporters hold for athletics between its four-yearly chances to truly shine has been blown out by a hurricane of confessions and rumours.
Kelli White, Tim Montgomery, Justin Gatlin, Marion Jones...each blow bigger than the last. And it hasn't just been Americans. The Canadians had their eyes opened earlier than most with Ben Johnson's antics in 1988 and we've had Dwain Chambers.
In fact, there isn't a major athletics nation that hasn't had a slice of drugs shame. The most written-about person in world athletics since the last Olympics has been some guy called Balco. He's been everywhere.
The realisation that there were more than just a few rotten apples has been slow and painful but it has sunk in now. The result for the sport has been disastrous - track & field has become the embarrassing uncle at the Olympic wedding, which is why you have to scroll a long way down most sports websites to find news of Bolt's remarkable performance.
The bigger problem, however, is what you find when you get there: record breakers are now guilty until proven innocent, their times dirty until proven clean.
Which brings us to Bolt - the world's fastest man.
If you haven't seen what a 9.72-second 100m looks like, you really should. I'm not allowed to link to it here but I'm sure you can all find it yourselves. It is a breathtaking demonstration of grace and power. It was also only the 21-year-old Jamaican's fifth competitive 100m.
Picked out for greatness at 200m (and possibly 400m) ever since he won a gold and two silvers at the 2002 World Junior Championships as a 15-year-old, the 6ft 5in-sprinter from Trelawny has been a reluctant traveller over the shorter distance.
Worries over the amount of time (relatively speaking) it takes for him to unwind his giant stride have meant most experts saw him as a potential Michael Johnson, not a Carl Lewis.
That's all changed now. Given the choice by his Kingston-based coach Glenn Mills of a winter spent concentrating on speed or stamina, Bolt opted for speed.
Mills was still leaning towards the half lap as his charge's best prospect of glory in Beijing (and wanted to erase the memory of Tyson Gay running away from his man down the back straight of the 200m at last year's World Championships) but he knew there was a much better 100m runner inside Bolt than his previous personal best of 10.03 suggested.
Mills was right, and then some.
Bolt matched his PB with his first 100m of the season at a small local meet in March. Two months later, he smashed that mark in Kingston with a 9.76 - only compatriot Asafa Powell had ever run faster.
Powell's hold on that claim didn't last long. Two weeks after Kingston, Bolt was under 10 seconds again, this time in Trinidad.
And then came Saturday evening in the Big Apple: a new world record, a third sub-10 100m in May and a thumping victory over Gay - the reigning world champion at 100m and 200m.
The American, of course, is not the only one who would have winced when he caught sight of Bolt's time - it can't have been easy on Powell either. Having been the fastest man on the planet, he is now not even the fastest on his island.
A tough break for man who, despite his list of stunning times, remains an unfulfilled talent on the biggest stage. His next meeting with Bolt at the Jamaican Olympic trials later this month should be some race.
And that, of course, is exactly what athletics needs right now: great rivalries, thrilling races. Let's enjoy an athletics story that is actually about athletics.
I'd like that, I really would. But then the world-weary cynic in me pipes up. A third of a second off his 100m PB in less than a year? A new world record on a wet track in May?
And so the internal debate starts again with arguments stacked up evenly on both sides.
Bolt is undeniably a prodigious talent who has been honed by Jamaica's excellent coaching structure. He has also passed six drugs tests already this year.
And yet Mills could see the questions coming a mile away.
"We know questions are inevitable given the revelations in the sport," Bolt's coach said after the race.
"But that doesn't trouble us for two reasons. One, there is a thing called conscience. Two, Usain doesn't even want to take vitamin C. We know he is as clean as a whistle."
At the moment, however, it's too easy for the defence witnesses for Bolt (and therefore his sport) to be shouted down by the prosecution.
What a shame that is. That Balco fellow and his pals in the penitentiary certainly have a lot to answer for.
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Matt good article but you stated
"In fact, there isn't a major athletics nation that hasn't had a slice of drugs shame. "
not so, Jamaica dont fall in that group and we are a major athletics nation.
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Really good article. The moment I saw that some bloke who I'd never even heard of (admittedly i'm not a big athletics fan) had smashed the world record, my immediate reaction was 'how long is it till he tests positive?' The sport has got itself into a big hole and has to regain people's trust before they will be excited by results like this instead of cynical.
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"Jamaica dont fall in that group and we are a major athletics nation"
Merlene Ottey?
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Merleen .... Merleen :(
(and don't give me any rubbish about "she was running for someone else")
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To speculate that Usain Bolt or any top athlete used drugs is not unfair or unreasonable, taking into consideration the amount of world class athletes who have been caught in the last few years.
Jamaica has been a breeding ground for world class sprinters going to back the great Herb McKenley, Dr. Arthur Wint, Lennox Miller, Donald Quarrie et.al, and only two athletes that I can recall ever being caught, (Merlene Ottey, who was eventually cleared and NCAA athlete Steve Mullings who served a two year band), none of whom was living or training in Jamaica when they were caught.
Unlike their predecessors the majority of the new generation of Jamaican athletes who are dominating the world right now, like Asafa Powell, Bolt, Sherone Simpson and company currenly live and train in Jamaica and so far they are clean. Therefore, I have to believe that Bolt is also clean.
Take it any way you want, but Jamaicans are just too damn good and perhaps won`t need to use drugs to continue to dominate the world. Until you have an idea of how fanatical these people are when it comes to track and field, especially the sprints, you are not going understand why so many great sprinters are coming from such a small country.
Trust me on this; what you see right now is only the genesis of so much more to come. Remember names like; Yohan Blake, Dexter Lee, Ramone Mckenzie, Nickel Ashmeade to name a few. They will be unleashed upon the world in another couple of years. Remember those name come London 2012.
For right now, Bolt is clean and we need to leave it that way and not try to tarnish is achievement. One thing I can tell you is that the at the Jamaican trials happening in a few weeks - there will be war. I think Powell will want his title back as the world`s fastest man, and I think he will get it, which should set up a fascinating battle.
Who do you like?
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To speculate that Usain Bolt or any top athlete used drugs is not unfair or unreasonable, taking into consideration the amount of world class athletes who have been caught in the last few years.
Jamaica has been a breeding ground for world class sprinters going to back the great Herb McKenley, Dr. Arthur Wint, Lennox Miller, Donald Quarrie et.al, and only two athletes that I can recall ever being caught, (Merlene Ottey, who was eventually cleared and NCAA athlete Steve Mullings who served a two year band), none of whom was living or training in Jamaica when they were caught.
Unlike their predecessors the majority of the new generation of Jamaican athletes who are dominating the world right now, like Asafa Powell, Bolt, Sherone Simpson and company currenly live and train in Jamaica and so far they are clean. Therefore, I have to believe that Bolt is also clean.
Take it any way you want, but Jamaicans are just too damn good and perhaps won`t need to use drugs to continue to dominate the world. Until you have an idea of how fanatical these people are when it comes to track and field, especially the sprints, you are not going understand why so many great sprinters are coming from such a small country.
Trust me on this; what you see right now is only the genesis of so much more to come. Remember names like; Yohan Blake, Dexter Lee, Ramone Mckenzie, Nickel Ashmeade to name a few. They will be unleashed upon the world in another couple of years. Remember those names come London 2012.
For right now, Bolt is clean and we need to leave it that way and not try to tarnish is achievement. One thing I can tell you is that at the Jamaican trials happening in a few weeks - there will be war. I think Powell will want his title back as the world`s fastest man, and I think he will get it, which should set up a fascinating battle.
Who do you like?
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i would love to have a name like that.
instead my mother christened me stephen. i can see myself as a 'usain'
good on the lad as well. young, gangly and rapid, bring on beijing '08
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With the times Bolt was running as a junior a world record comes as no surprise but i never thought it would be over 100m!
What a relay team the jamaicans will have now with Powell and Bolt!
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Cynicism is rife: Unfortunately, I am one of that many who long since gave up following athletics with anything but one eye on the test tube results further down the track!!!
If Bolt is not on something it it will be an undeniable miracle!
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Well I think six negative drugs tests this year means we give him the benefit of the doubt.
This lad has been touted around as an up-and-comer for a few years now, and whilst I was shocked to see the time for only his FIFTH run at the 100m, I'm not surprised it was a runner from Jamaica.
Bolt vs Powell in two weeks...what a battle that should be.
Good on you lads, let's see a tussle for another new WR!
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Ottey
was never found guilty of anything check your facts. in any way one case would not count as a problem.
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jamaicans are not a forgiving people , so usain has to be clean or else he will have to leave jamaica . beleive it.
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Chrisswit, reading and comprehending are two different things. It's seems that you have a problem with the latter. Please go back and read what I wrote, noticed that I said Ottey "was eventually cleared"
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Deejade, to say Jamaicans are not forgiveable people is poppycock.
Do you even where Jamaica is?
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I have been stunned by the speed at which the pessimistic media have come out to pass judgement.
If athletics really is so corrupt that more column inches are are written on the legality rather than the wonder of this feat then it really is time to pack up and start watching another sport.
This just cannot be right.
Please, let us just celebrate this is for what it is... an amazing athletic achivement which is not altogether surprising for people who have followed Bolt's career for the last few years.
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Bolt's talent is undeniable but people are right to be sceptical. It is difficult to have faith in the current drug testing system after the revelations from the Balco case. In particular the methods of testing for human growth hormone (somatotrophin) usage require improvement. We know from the Trevor Graham and Balco cases that this is a drug that sprinters favour as it is more difficult to detect than anabolic steroids and the health risks are considered lower.
The current athletics world records are a joke, just look at the women's track records from 100m up to 10,000. The majority are clouded by drugs allegations (Flo Jo, Marita Koch, Kratochvila, Wang Junxia) and were recorded at a time when the methods of drug testing were completely inadequate.
The record books should be wiped clean and no further records recognized until there is a comprehensive drug testing programme that we can have faith in.
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I am very proud of Usain. We Jamaicans do expect a lot from our athletes, however at the same time we would be extremely disappointed if our athletes become involved in drug use. We have a reputation of being a sprint factory. I can't wait to be at the National Stadium to see Bolt and Asafa @ the Jamaican National Trials.
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grandbyron - i think you have missed the entire thrust of this well written article. the whole point is that we can't just "celebrate this for what it is" because the sport has become so tarnished and embroiled with drugs that it's now almost impossible to separate one from the other. I remember Linford sayign on the track after he won his amazing Olympic gold "they can test me all they want, I am clean". But in the end he wasn't. That night was a massive thrill for me as a kid, now I just cannot get excited about track running at all.
And the fact someone has tested "clean" 6 times in a year is utterly irrelevant. The very reason balco etc was so damaging is that the drugs were undetectable, and there are probably more out there now which also cannot be detected (which is what Chambers and co are telling us based on inside knowledge). So what value is a "clean" test anyway?
Until such time as all illegal substances are detectable and all atheletes are tested every couple of weeks both in and out of season, atheltics will remain a tarnished dream for me, and many others too I expect. I'm not even looking forward to the Olympics anymore. WHat a horrible, terrible shame.
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If athletics has become clean then we should see times go up, and world records become rarer. The fact that times keep dropping, maybe at a faster pace than ever is simply evidence that the athletes are not clean. It is no longer cynical to take this stance, it is realistic. They only have themselves to blame. Where were the teammates speaking out against abusers in their ranks? It's all very hush hush.
Many celebrated athletes like Flo Jo and Carl Lewis went through their careers undetected and even know many lewis fans deny he was on drugs, which he certainly was. How many times are we going to see Mr X, 10seconds 100m go through most of his career at ordinary times and then pull out a time ~5% faster just from one off-season training? The truth is that the USA (let's face it, they are the epicenter of the scandal) is the new East Germany.
I certainly don't care what happens at the olympics anymore. Between handing the event to the very antithesis of human rights, and the drug-circus, it has become wholly detestable. If only england were at the euros...
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I think this is a very irresponsible article.
The war against drug cheats is not only about the quality of testing but also the awareness being created and the pressure being put on people involved in cheating.
One is saddened by the number of high profile confessions but there again this sends out the message that no matter who you are, if you cheat you will eventually be caught and disgraced.
A negative comment was made about the big improvements in Usain's times in only his first few races. Frankly I would have been surprised if, having moved to a new distance, for him, he started posting consistent times. There is bound to be a big improvement in your performance, during your first few tries at a new distance especially when you are working with some of the worlds best coaches.
There are a lot of facts, most of which have been mentioned above, supporting the belief that this feat should be celebrated rather than knocked.
Well done Usain! Stay clean!
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My first thoughts were exactly the same as many of the skeptics on this site, but then I recalled that he is being trained by Mr. Mills whom I know and respect highly. Mr. Mills will not tolerate drug use by his athletes, so I breathe a sigh of relief.
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Interesting comments. I do comprehend your position.
A question I would like you to think about and possibly answer if you can.
The present 200m world record for men and the present 100m world record for women.Are they "genuine"?
Give Bolt a break!
Asafa who has been consistent the champion at men 100m until last saturday,has been and is clean up to now.
May be bolt has chosen a good role modle!... his school mate?
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As and athlete myself, it does make me question strongly anyones desire to cheat to win.
Myself personally i really love the sport, and i find that there is no bigger rush than competitively racing. Why people would go to the extent of cheating completely baffles me. If they love the sport as they claimed surely they would take enjoyment and pride from simply competing, and not have to cheat to win, which i know would play on my conscience.
The problem is as the drugs testing becomes more and more advanced, so will the drugs in order to prevent detection during tests, so will we ever get to a stage where the sport can once again become trusted by the general people, and therefore allow people to watch it and believe it.
I believe Bolt's 100m record was legitimate, and i just hope that we can have more success stories in athletics to try and cover the shame that so many big names have brought to the sport.
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Isn't Trevor Graham Jamaican?
I suppose you could argue he was corrupted by American greed.
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Magnificent show by Bolt. Yet, yes, as the article says it is the timing of the record breaking run that is the issue especially now that the previously thought clean Marion Jones also has confessed. But I hope he is the genuine article - athletics needs a new name.
But not just Jamaica, no country can say that they are immune to drug taking problems. Talking of Jamaica, wasn't Ben Johnson of Jamaican roots too. As for Merlene Ottey - well that name is alone enough to taint any country's reputation.
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I'm sorry, but the reason why athletics has fallen down the pecking order in the US, and in many countries, is the complete scepticism which people have over athletics events like sprinting but don't really say out loud.
It's all a question of logic. If Ben Johnson was absolutely tanked up with drugs when he ran 9.79, Justin Gatlin went faster and ended up failing a drugs test, and Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt have gone even faster (he didn't even get a very good start), does anyone seriously believe that they're achieving those times without any additional assistance whatsoever? It just isn't possible. His technique has even been questioned for short sprints like the 100m, and yet, his times have absolutely tumbled in such a short space of time.
It's terrible, because you don't want to cast suspicion everywhere, but think about it. Does it make any logical sense to you?
It's no coincidence that the failed drugs tests have largely been in countries like the US and Britain, but they're still not catching as many as they should and the regulation for out-of-competition testing is a joke. The regulation and procedures outside of countries like the US and Britain for out-of-competition testing and knowing where your athletes are is totally non-existent.
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Yes, very true. After what we all have seen in the last few years in track and field, such performances should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Drug abuse is prevalent and that has taken the sheen off of events such as this one. You do not feel the excitement anymore as was the case earlier.
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Fantastic article Matt.
The article sums up the best and the worst of athletics.
At its best, it is the truest form of sport, the biggest test of ability, training and dedication. At its worst all of the ability, training and dedication is thrown in to doubt and leaves the observer speculating about the truthfulness of the unseen.
If Bolt is clean (and to the best of our knowledge he is) this is a trully awesome feat by a 21 year old.
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great article. this guy is the real deal the problem is we are just not used to seein an athlete reaching there protential so many have had the talent but just never had IT.
after seeing this guy run 9.76 and now 9.72 and already pass 6 drugs test this year alone, you have to belive that there may be more to come. at the jamacian trials you have to belive that there is a chance for a new wr in the 100, and mabey we can start thinkin mabey a 200 wr? well i just get the feeling that this year has the protential to be a very good year for athletics and mabey the sport can get back someof its credibilty
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as much as i am looking forward to the 100m i am equally looking for to the 200m and the 4*100m as well at the olympics
in the 100m u have:
powell
bolt
gay
atkins
spearmon(if he runs)
gatlin(if hes cleared)
a few others around the 10 sec mark
in the 200m
bolt
gay
spearmon
dix
merritt(may not run 200m but has potential)
there is a few good runners aswell not potential winners
in the 4*100m
usa vs jamaica
gay powell
spearmon bolt
gatlin frater
dix carter
dont think britain will challenge either of these
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Hello all and thanks for posting comments, much appreciated.
Here, in chronological order, are my responses/thoughts:
chrisswit - You're right. Jamaica has a clean record. Others have already brought up Ottey and Mullings (and Johnson and Graham) but that, in terms of fails, is pretty much it. Jamaican athletes, however, haven't been tested very regularly or effectively until quite recently. I'm not suggesting there would have been more fails, I'm just saying we don't know for sure because until the IAAF really upped its game, Jamaican athletes were often only tested during the US/European track seasons, ie IN competition when it is an IQ test, not a drugs test. Even the top runners would only be tested the minimum number of twice a year. The same can be said for leading athletes from Africa, South American, Eastern/Central Europe and large parts of Asia. It's not that anybody thinks they are cheating, it's just that nobody knows because they aren't tested nearly as much as athletes in N America, W Europe, Australia, Japan etc. I could say more on this but we intend to come back to this issue later, so I'll leave it at that for now.
tuxx44 - You make some great points and you're right to bring up Jamaica's rich tradition in the sprints (let's not forget the number of athletes with Jamaican roots who have represented other countries with distinction...Donovan Bailey springs to mind). You're also right to mention the fact that Jamaican athletes tend to base themselves in Jamaica. Caribbean athletes have tended to go to US colleges in the past but the quailty of coaching/support at centres like the Uni of Tech in Kingston has meant Jamaican stars are now staying at home.....which brings me to point above. It is precisely for this reason some cynics have been whispering about the Jamaican prog. They have no basis or proof for their claims but can defend them by saying, 'well, Jamaica doesn't have a Usada/Asada/UK Sport to run a testing prog'.
As for Bolt v Powell, hmmm. I heard/read somewhere that AP ran sub-9.7 in training last year. Can he do it when it matters? Can Bolt go lower? I genuinely don't know! I'm going to back the new guy, though.
grandbyron - You make a fair point, there is perhaps too much pessimism out there...particularly if it's directed at a young man who (as far as anybody can tell) has done absolutely nothing wrong apart from realise his potential. But the point I was trying to make in the piece is there is scepticism/pessimism out there (because of the actions of others) and that is what Bolt and other clean athletes are going to have to deal with. It's not fair, it's just the way it is.
konchellah - I would LOVE to wipe all the dodgy records, I really would. But I can't see it happening.
Who would decide which ones should be wiped? What happens if the evidence is gone or forgotten? Can the authorities spare the time/money to fight the lawsuits that would come their way? Can athletics take this much dirty linen being washed in public?
kerrphillipkerr - See my previous answer!
thedread1 - You're right about Mills. I've only heard good things and his record, starting with Ray Stewart back in '84, is superb.
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Posts like this article get wiped all the time in the forums by overzealous moderators. Let's have some consistency, please, BBC.
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Matt - great article and thanks for the comments. I think they would have to wipe every track and field record from the books and herald in a new era for athletics. I accept this would be difficult as it doesn't follow the principle of "innocent until proven guilty". It would have to be done without suggesting any athletes guilt but based on evidence that the testing procedures were ineffective and therefore we cannot be certain the records were achieved by clean athletes. Continuing to let these records stand provides an incentive to athletes to cheat as they will think that they too need to use drugs to compete against some of these astonishing records. Flo Jo's records are the classic example, no-one has got anywhere near them and the closest was Marion Jones and we now know she was on drugs. It deprives clean athletes of the chance to be recognized as the fastest at their event and the financial rewards that come with this status. If I could wipe one record it would be Marita Koch's women's 400m record as it is beyond reasonable doubt that she was using steroids. This was revealed when records from the old East Germany were discovered and an academic journal was published detailing the drug programmes used.
I do think that it is possible for men to run sub 10 clean. Every now and then athletes come along with unique talents and they can set amazing records. I think Michael Johnson was clean and is a good example of someone who improved throughout his career, mastered his events, delivered consistent performances and reached his peaked when you would have expected him to. Usain Bolt's progress as a youngster indicates he could also be in this category. It would be great to see a Jamaican 1-2 in the 100m at Beijing.
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That Balco fellow is called Victor Conte..Balco is his company.
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amphibiousbill, I know that. I was playing dumb for comedic effect....sorry, I won't do it again.
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