Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell: Olympic sprinters fail drug tests

[jamaican_spurs]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/23307913
US sprinter Tyson Gay and Jamaica's former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell have failed drug tests.
Gay, 30, the joint-second fastest man over 100m, was notified by the US Anti-Doping Agency on Friday that his A sample from an out-of-competition test in May had returned a positive.
The management company for Powell confirmed he had tested positive for a banned substance.
Another Jamaican sprinter, Sherone Simpson, has also failed a drug test.
The Olympic 4x100m relay silver medallist said on Sunday she had tested positive for a stimulant at last month's national championships.
Powell and Simpson's doping positives come a month after Jamaican Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown tested positive for a banned diuretic.
The 30-year-old Powell was the last man to hold the individual 100m record before compatriot Usain Bolt broke it in 2008. He is still the fourth fastest man of all time.
Powell later helped Jamaica to win 400m relay gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Gay, the fastest man in 2013, is waiting for the results of his 'B' sample.
He has already withdrawn from next month's World Championships in Moscow.
"I don't have a sabotage story... I basically put my trust in someone and was let down," he said.
"I know exactly what went on, but I can't discuss it right now.
"I hope I am able to run again, but I will take whatever punishment I get like a man."

Really sad for the sport. Two of the nicest athletes you can ever meet. Hard to believe.

 

[werty]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/23307913

Can't copy and past the story from my iPad. Not good time for the sport. Apparently 5 Jamaicans in total have failed, two of which are Sherone Simpson and 3 time Olympic Gold medalist Veronica Camobell-Brown. Not good times for the sport with the World Championships coming up soon too.

 

[Misfit]

I'm shocked and stunned.

If anyone needs me, I'll be lying down in a darkened room, a damp cloth covering my brow.

 

[jamaican_spurs]

NEWS IN Jamaica is that the banned substance entered their systems through a new dietary supplement implemented at MVP camp. Sources claim that one of the athletes did intensive research into the product and was reassured by the manufacturer that it was completely natural. They are contemplating legal action. Asafa addressed the public a little earlier in a letter.

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

Just praying bolt is clean. I'd be absolutely gutted if we have to go through another sporting great of our time being found to be a fake. Still shocked by this.

 

[jamaican_spurs]

Just praying bolt is clean. I'd be absolutely gutted if we have to go through another sporting great of our time being found to be a fake. Still shocked by this.

Bolt seems to be as clean as ever. His training camp has a clean record. Asafa's trainer has been arrested by the Italian police so evidence pointing to the fact that he is telling the truth about being innocent. Also the banned substances were not performance enhancing.

 

[nferno]

Saw "Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell..." on the side and assumed it to end with "tie the knot." Lol, he really needs to change that surname.

 

[DuDe]

 

[Main Man]

Chop their legs off!

 

[riggi]

Shock horror. They're all at it.

 

[Marty]

Cycling has been through so much recently because they finally toughened up on the anti-doping measures. Athletics will hopefully go through a similar period now.

Just really hope Bolt is still clean.

 

[Misfit]

Cycling has been through so much recently because they finally toughened up on the anti-doping measures. Athletics will hopefully go through a similar period now.

Just really hope Bolt is still clean.

Who knows. Doesn't matter much. Even if he isn't, he'll not get done. Not until he's been retired for a few yrs and the next "Greatest Athelte Eva" is being pimped out left, right and centre by the multinationals anyways.

Bolt is a bit different really. A freak what with height etc. However, Gay et al aren't exactly schlubs sprinting wise and if they are actually guilty of juicing, some will naturally begin to wonder.

I'm not convinced cycling is clean myself but as you say, Athletics is currently just about where cycling was a decade ago. Rumours, positive piss tests everywhere. Not a good look.

I'm still waiting for rugby, and especially football, to finally be outed. The shit will hit the fan on that day.

 

[Marty]

I'm not convinced cycling is clean myself but as you say, Athletics is currently just about where cycling was a decade ago. Rumours, positive piss tests everywhere. Not a good look.

I'm still waiting for rugby, and especially football, to finally be outed. The shit will hit the fan on that day.

I'm also far from convinced that cycling is clean, in fact I'm pretty sure it's not, there will always be a few who think they can get away with it, see Riccardo Ricco, or who get desperate when they realise that they're not as strong as they used to be, like in Frank Schleck's case. But it is undoubtedly a lot fairer now than it was in the Armstrong era.

I really believe that if the Spanish authorities had released all the documentation in the Operacion Puerto case recently then the shit would've hit the fan in football and tennis as well. Spain still has a culture of winning at all costs and not caring about illegal measures, just see their reaction when Contador was suspended.

 

[Misfit]

Yes. Cycling is relatively clean right now. Give the scientists a couple of yrs and it'll be game on again. As for the Spanish doctor at the centre of a lot of that nonsense, he directly mentioned the Spanish national side I think. So yeah, it'll come out one day and it'll not be pretty.

 

[karennina]

I just wonder would getting rid of all the media sanctimony be worth letting them dope to within some safe limits? It's like the drugs are a substitute for Satan, who isn't scary enough any more.

 

[Mullers]

Well it is a shocker for the sport, that is practically all of Bolt's main rivals removed from the sport and the drugs didn't do any good anyway. If you're going to cheat at least take the drugs that will enable you to beat Bolt.

 

[Misfit]

A cynical man might question the timing of Blake's injury. Nothing would surprise me anymore. It's a shame as Blake, Powell etc might be totally clean or have inadvertently taken a banned substance. We've heard so much bullshit from so many athletes over so many yrs though that it's hard to give the benefit of the doubt. And ultimately, as unfair as it might be, it's the athletes and coaches to blame and the sport as a whole.

I liked the BOA's hardass approach tbh but even that was overturned.

 

[mattyspurs]

A cynical man might question the timing of Blake's injury. Nothing would surprise me anymore. It's a shame as Blake, Powell etc might be totally clean or have inadvertently taken a banned substance. We've heard so much bullshit from so many athletes over so many yrs though that it's hard to give the benefit of the doubt. And ultimately, as unfair as it might be, it's the athletes and coaches to blame and the sport as a whole.

I liked the BOA's hardass approach tbh but even that was overturned.

I still think that they only have themselves to blame though. I'm not sure how these things work, but surely the IAAF (do they still exist?) or the BOA or whoever must have a list of things that can or cannot be used with regards to supplements or whatever that can be trusted. If the atheletes choose to ignore this list, if it exists then thats their own fault?

 

[Misfit]

I still think that they only have themselves to blame though. I'm not sure how these things work, but surely the IAAF (do they still exist?) or the BOA or whoever must have a list of things that can or cannot be used with regards to supplements or whatever that can be trusted. If the atheletes choose to ignore this list, if it exists then thats their own fault?

Well indeed. These are grown men, and at their level not exactly struggling for capable people to surround themselves with.

Athletics has basically been like cycling at it's peak 10-20 yrs ago but for the last 40 yrs or so. It's endemic and the authorities can pay lip service as much as they want but here we are again. I know it isn't easy and many clever scientists are hard at work creating the next thing but really, a hard-line approach needs to be taken soon. No more pleas of ignorance etc. If you're not 100% sure what you're putting inside your body you don't take it. No matter what someone says or promises you, it's your body when it comes down to it. Otherwise, you're treated exactly the same as someone who injects horse testosterone directly into their eyeball, if you fail a test. Try some broccoli next time instead.

The BOA needed to be backed last yr and they weren't. This'll keep happening at a steady drip drip drip. At least I guess the slight positive is that fairly industrial steroids are a thing of the past largely so we'll not have to watch many of today's sprinters collapse and die suddenly in the 40's when their hearts explode inside their chests.

Once again, makes you wonder the shitstorm that'll happen when football starts to treat this seriously. It's a widely known secret that the clubs and authorities regularly cover up abuse of illegal narcotics by players. Makes you wonder what kind of shenanigans occur wrt PEDs etc.

 

[DanNolan]

i actually wrote a whole dissertation on drugs in athletics, so have read quite a lot on the subject. The "supplement" that Powell has been accused of taking is a fat stripping supplement very much with the same results given by green tea, i ahve always really respected Asafa and if i'm totally honest i cant believe that he took anything to enhance performance. He goes actively out've his way to campaign against drugs so was a shocking discovery for me to find him accused. Tyson's silence is worrying although from meeting him I know that he is a very shy and quiet man that would stay outve the media while trying to prove his innocence.

It is getting beyond a joke that so many athletes are struggling with supplement problems and rather than having a banned substance perhapsits time to have alist with what you can take, anything else gets you banned?