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DanNolan

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2006
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Gatlin Blows away the field and lands first blow in the fight for 100m supremacy

The outdoor athletics season began with a sparkling curtain raiser in the diamond league in Doha. Justin Gatlin was in ominous form running an outstanding personal best 9.74! He has been extremely confident while hyping his pursuit of dethroning Usain Bolt in the world championships later this summer, and tonight certainly lived up to the hype becoming the fourth fastest man in history. On this form people will have to start believing he may well achieve the unthinkable regardless of their views on his doping past; while looking so strong and in the best shape of his life surely there is more to come. The rest of the field including Briton James Dasaulou were almost left in a different race as they managed only to chase Gatlin's shadow with just fellow USA athlete Rodgers also managing to break 10 seconds.


In an incredible triple jump competition containing USA's Olympic champion Taylor and the talented Frenchman Tamgho, two men broke the magic 18 meter barrier for the first time in history. It was unfancied Cuban Pichardo who took the victory by just two centimetres from Taylor jumping a fantastic 18.06. This is the 3rd longest jump in history and indicates that Jonathan Edwards' 20 year old world record may finally come under threat by the end of the summer.
Jasmine Stowers looked to continue her astonishing early season form in the 100 m hurdles alongside Olympic champion Sally Pearson, who along with Dawn Harper-Nelson and Queen Harrison gave the field a major final feel . It was the USA prodigy Stowers who destroyed the field to achieve the fastest diamond league race ever in 12.35, she has burst onto the scene since graduating in 2014 improving at a rapid rate. Britain's Tiffany Porter ran extremely well to take third place ahead of Olympic champion Pearson in her season's opener.

Olympic champion Alyson Felix won the 200 m in a field containing in form Ahoure from Ivory Coast along with Anthonique Strachan from the Bahamas. Young British athlete Bianca Williams ran in a world-class Field from lane one hoping to make a mark but struggled in such strong company. Ahoure attacked the bend well but as they came into the home straight Felix managed to pull away from her dipping under the line in a strong time of 21.98 seconds.

Beshawn Jackson rolled back the years once again in the 400 m hurdles running the fastest time of the year by more than one whole second. Jackson who was last world champion as long as 10 years ago, has been in sparkling form this season and looks a real threat for gold at the world Championships later this year in Beijing. He dismantled a world-class field including Olympic champion Sanchez as well as second placed Javier Culson; fast finishing Briton Jack Green made a great comeback to world-class athletics by coming fourth from lane 1. This was a great performance after his recent absence from the sport with a stress related illness and signals his return to the world stage.

It was a night of shocks in Doha beginning in the 1500 m women's race when youngster Seyaum ran a great race and won in a surprise result with a world leading 4.00.96. The men's 800 m race followed suit as favourite and world champion Aman started much too slowly and was made to pay as he was beat by Souleiman. Aman left himself far much too much to do resulting in him finding himself boxed at the back of the field, ending up in eighth. It was a great race between Kenyan pair Cheruiyot and Kipketer for second with an impressive winning time of 1.43.78, just outside of the meeting record. The shocks continued in the women's 400m as McCrory shocked the field winning in 50.21. The favourite Sanya Richards Ross ran a poorly constructed race after initially looking comfortable coming into the last hundred meters; Richards Ross obviously went off too fast as she tied up terribly and McCorory powered to a statement making victory.
In the final race of the night Mo Farah suffered a rare defeat running the 3000m in a stellar field. Gebrhiwet from Ethiopia took the surprise win when Farah's tactics backfired when a breakaway group managed to escape his grasp with a lap to go. Farah responded very well but it was too late and he came up two meters short finishing second.

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Mullers

Unknown member
Jan 4, 2006
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I used to follow athletics a lot but all the drug taking put me off, it's only Bolt that I really follow now and again.
 

DanNolan

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2006
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Well this season in the 100m Bolt will be running against Gatlin who took testosterone and so served a 4 year ban.
In addition hell be facing Tyson Gay who cheated but got his ban reduced to one single year due to 'helping out the authorities' to tell them how they cheat.

Bolt is very annoyed about this and it will create a rivalry of the cheating USA vs Bolt. This might create interest and the world pulling for Bolt in an almost good versus evil situation
 

Mullers

Unknown member
Jan 4, 2006
25,914
16,413
Well this season in the 100m Bolt will be running against Gatlin who took testosterone and so served a 4 year ban.
In addition hell be facing Tyson Gay who cheated but got his ban reduced to one single year due to 'helping out the authorities' to tell them how they cheat.

Bolt is very annoyed about this and it will create a rivalry of the cheating USA vs Bolt. This might create interest and the world pulling for Bolt in an almost good versus evil situation
LOL it's not much of a rivalry, Bolt will leave Gatlin for dust in a race, whether Gatlin is doped up or not.
 

nightgoat

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2005
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Gatlin shouldn't even be competing having been caught doping more than once. He's probably doped again now.
 

Chris12

Well-Known Member
Mar 6, 2013
7,293
13,252
Gatlin and Gay should not be allowed to participate. Pisses me off that cheats can just go back into the sport after a few years out. Ban them for life
 

theShiznit

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2004
17,800
23,813
Gatlin and Gay should not be allowed to participate. Pisses me off that cheats can just go back into the sport after a few years out. Ban them for life
They should be made to give samples during the race...
 

Topeka

To Win It All
Aug 11, 2014
331
366
What annoys me is the fact that those that have been presented with medals only to have them stripped later for doping deny those 'clean' athletes their moment in the sun to be presented at the Games rather than in the post so to speak
 

DanNolan

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2006
1,369
2,524
The problem is the IAAF need to set out these lifetime bans as a compulsory rule, as things stand the national organisations have a big say in the ban length. An example of this is Dwain Chambers, Britain has a very strong anti cheat policy and it was only after the court if arbitration got involved that he was reinstated at all. Unfortunately it isn't fair in him that he did the same as other world athletes and yet was more severely punished.
In this day and age the fact that Gay cheated and got only a year ban as reward for his help on how he managed to hide it, shows just how bad the drug testers must be lagging behind the pharmacists making these drugs. It's a disgrace that for cheating and admitting to it he has been punished less that someone with a long term injury almost.
 

gushayes11

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2007
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13,003
Did anyone see Panorama tonight about doping? Very interesting programme not only about the Nike Oregan facility but much more about widespread use. Really shocked about the Alan Wells accusations. Everything I've read about his career was about running and training clean, but after tonight there must be doubts about his association with dodgy doctors and ex colleagues dishing the dirt on him.
 

Wellspurs

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2006
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Mo Farrah's trainer has been caught as a drugs cheat.... Jo Pavey said if her trainer was caught in the same circumstances "She would run a mile" strange that as thought she was a 10,000 mtr runner?
 

AW?

Formerly known as *******Who?
Feb 6, 2006
13,205
4,951
All the elite are dopers. Sadly that's the way sport is these days. I used to think sportsman were great role models over celebrity culture types but I'm struggling to think of anybody who qualifies for that now.

The more I hear about this stuff, the more I realise it's just a professional choice. I mean how could someone like Paula Radcliffe beat so many convicted dopers? It's not possible as it gives you a massive advantage using PEDs. And it's so easy to get away with it now too, you're just a bad pro if you get sloppy or over do it.
 

Shea

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2013
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I used to follow athletics a lot but all the drug taking put me off, it's only Bolt that I really follow now and again.
Usain getting caught doping would be the nail in the coffin of athletics at this stage I think

he's the sports icon, he's the man deemed to be clean who has come on the scene and blown away all the previous records achieved by cheaters - if he too were to be a cheat and get exposed as such (following the likes of Gay, Montgomery, Powell...all the way back to Johnson) it would just leave the sport in tatters and no one would believe anyone was producing results in the sport unless they were cheaters

As to whether or not he is a cheat, I hope not. I like to believe he is clean and as such that is what I believe....but it's difficult to argue with those who call it suspicious whenever someone blows away a world record even with the advancements in legal science and equipment that may aid progress (it's normally seen as something that would occur in small increments) especially when the records being blown away were achieved by people who used steroids to achieve them

I actually met Bolt, we went as a large group to a club in London in 2010. My friend trained with him in London and later went out to Jamaica for six months to train with him there. Usain even came to his mums house round the corner from me and took photos with everyone. Very nice guy although surprisingly subdue considering his brash media persona (well at least when I met him although it may have been out of character and not really reflecting the way he normally acts or acts in a different environment)
 

gilzeantheking

SC Supporter
Jun 16, 2011
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Statement from Mo Farah

Dan Roan · @danroan
19th Jun 2015 from TwitLonger

BREAKING Mo Farah statement
Mo Farah said
"I have never taken performance enhancing drugs in my life and I never will. Over the course of my career I have taken hundreds of drugs tests and every single one has been negative. I’ve fully explained the only two tests in my career that I have ever missed, which the authorities understood, and there was never any suggestion that these were anything more than simple mistakes.

The last two weeks have been the toughest of my life – with rumours and speculation about me that are completely false – and the impact this has had on my family and friends has left me angry, frustrated and upset. In particular, the media pressure on my young family and my wife, who is 5 months pregnant, is extremely painful, especially as I’m away training for some important races.

As I made clear, I went to Portland to speak to Alberto Salazar and demand answers. He reassured me that the claims are false and that he will soon be providing evidence to make that clear. Until then I will not be commenting further on the allegations.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fans, family, friends and teammates for all the great support they have provided over the last few days and hope that I will now be allowed to focus on my training and winning medals for my country."
 
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