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Track & Field: Insert Latest Scandal here

selkie

By selkie
in 2016 Olympics

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briochetwist

briochetwist

9 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Can't we just leave *He who shall go nameless because, apparently, he's the devil incarnate to some people and I think it's gotten rather ridiculous and blown waaay out of proportion and he just fucked up like we all do sometimes* out of the track & field thread?  

As far as I'm concerned, this is Usain Bolt's house. ; )

I find it really odd that everyone is coming down so hard on Justin Gatlin for the doping infraction when 3 out of 4 of the US mens 4x100 relay team has all served doping suspensions. Trayvon Bromell is the only one with a clean record. Why is he the scapegoat when Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers have also been caught doping? 

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Ohwell

Ohwell

16 minutes ago, briochetwist said:

I find it really odd that everyone is coming down so hard on Justin Gatlin for the doping infraction when 3 out of 4 of the US mens 4x100 relay team has all served doping suspensions. Trayvon Bromell is the only one with a clean record. Why is he the scapegoat when Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers have also been caught doping? 

Actually, I was referring to *rhymes with flyin' cocktee*

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Ohwell

Ohwell

11 minutes ago, briochetwist said:

Oops... I am a moron....  

But my question still stands actually. I'm really curious why there's so much Justin Gatlin hate and nary a peep about the others.

Nope, you are not a moron. : ) 

And yes I agree with you about Justin Gatlin and why he's such a pariah since he's certainly not the only one who got caught.  Yes, Tyson Gay and Mike Rogers just for starters.  And he really was my 2004 Olympic boyfriend and I was so disappointed and gutted when the doping stuff came up.  But he's paid his dues and I really hated it when the Brazilian crowd booed when he was introduced. 

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NUguy514

NUguy514

I'm not forgiving when it comes to doping, so my antipathy is equally spread out between all the dopers of all the countries, including Gatlin, Gay, and Rogers.  I would venture that Gatlin receives so much of the ire because there's always an excuse: his ridiculous story about the masseur rubbing a steroid cream on him without his knowledge, for starters?  Girl, please.

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AimingforYoko

AimingforYoko

23 minutes ago, briochetwist said:

But my question still stands actually. I'm really curious why there's so much Justin Gatlin hate and nary a peep about the others.

Because he's been popped twice. Once can be written off as youthful exuberence, twice means you're a serial cheater. You learned nothing from your first suspension.

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briochetwist

briochetwist

4 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Because he's been popped twice. Once can be written off as youthful exuberence, twice means you're a serial cheater. You learned nothing from your first suspension.

Sorry, but I've gotta disagree with that one. As someone who has ADHD and a daughter with it, I will cut him and anyone else major slack for taking a medication that they have their taken for their entire lives.  A medication that for some is a lifesaver. I will give you that the second infraction wasn't accidental though. However, in this case it doesn't mean that twice is serial cheating.  Again, this picking and choosing over who to vilify really pisses me off.

12 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

I would venture that Gatlin receives so much of the ire because there's always an excuse: his ridiculous story about the masseur rubbing a steroid cream on him without his knowledge, for starters?  Girl, please.

Great point. That little gem never fails to make me laugh my ass off!

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Growsonwalls

Growsonwalls

I wonder if it's because Gatlin is sort of an old-school track athlete. He stares down competitors, he scowls, he glowers. When the whole world adores the friendly and goofy Usain Bolt, Gatlin is going to come across as a stick in the mud.

Carl Lewis sort of had the same issue. It didn't matter how many gold medals he won. He came across as a pompous ass. There were so many suspicions about, say, FloJo but FloJo was pretty, charming, and so I remembered most of her press conferences being more about her hair and nails and sense of fashion than anything else.

Medals is one thing. Personality counts when it comes to public perception.

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briochetwist

briochetwist

3 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

I wonder if it's because Gatlin is sort of an old-school track athlete. He stares down competitors, he scowls, he glowers. When the whole world adores the friendly and goofy Usain Bolt, Gatlin is going to come across as a stick in the mud.

 

Funny you mention that, Donovan Bailey was talking about that on CBC the other night. Saying that in his day, they all glowered at each other, it was all about posturing, and now the new generation is much friendlier, it's a totally different atmosphere now.

5 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

 

Carl Lewis sort of had the same issue. It didn't matter how many gold medals he won. He came across as a pompous ass. There were so many suspicions about, say, FloJo but FloJo was pretty, charming, and so I remembered most of her press conferences being more about her hair and nails and sense of fashion than anything else.

I absolutely, positively, loathe Carl Lewis. He sold himself as a clean athlete, portrayed himself as the angel to Ben Johnson's devil, trash talked him beyond belief, happily accepted the gold medal that was stripped from Johnson when he was just as fucking dirty. Six out of eight in that race were dirty but Johnson was the only one to be vilified. 

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sereion

sereion

(edited)

Given that he's caught twice, Justin should have received a permanent ban from the sport. The first time was he was on meds that contained a banned substance; the second strike? Out for good. He knew better.

I was intially rooting for Gay, but now, I have no sympathy for him. He cost himself and his teammates a medal because of his cheating in London. And Rodgers was caught cheating, too? So not only Mitchell had a history of dirty urine in the past, but 3 of the 4 runners did too. They could not find any clean runners? 

Edited by sereion
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sereion

sereion

19 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

I wonder if it's because Gatlin is sort of an old-school track athlete. He stares down competitors, he scowls, he glowers. When the whole world adores the friendly and goofy Usain Bolt, Gatlin is going to come across as a stick in the mud

 

Medals is one thing. Personality counts when it comes to public perception.

I will say that Bolt changed the perception of the track and field sprinter; as you mentioned, most of them were extremely arrorgant and unlikeable; especially the US men. In fact, it was nothing for them to engage in some trash talking. Bolt, on the other hand, was cocky, but he is so affable, relaxed and carefree. You could tell he's having fun, and you want to join him.  Notice how much sportsmanship and comaradrie improved since he came on the scene.

That's why the crowd goes crazy when they see him---is worth millions in endorsement deals. I remember when after Lewis matched Jesse Owens record in LA, I didn't remember him signing any deals/sponsorships after the Olympics.

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Scovies

Scovies

1 hour ago, briochetwist said:

I absolutely, positively, loathe Carl Lewis. He sold himself as a clean athlete, portrayed himself as the angel to Ben Johnson's devil, trash talked him beyond belief, happily accepted the gold medal that was stripped from Johnson when he was just as fucking dirty. Six out of eight in that race were dirty but Johnson was the only one to be vilified. 

I never realized what a jackass he was until I watched 9.79*, which I mentioned earlier in this thread (I was a bit too young to follow him in his prime). His manager/agent was an unlikable nutbag as well, and his obsession/admiration for Lewis was creepy as hell. And yeah, Lewis never even mentioned steroids in the press until Ben Johnson started beating him regularly. That documentary was pretty funny because you just know that Carl thought he was presenting himself as the good guy and thought he was nailing it, but he had no idea that he was coming off as the villain of the piece.

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AshleyN

AshleyN

(edited)
3 hours ago, briochetwist said:

But my question still stands actually. I'm really curious why there's so much Justin Gatlin hate and nary a peep about the others.

I would say the simplest explanation is that he's more high-profile than the others. I don't follow track that closely, but he's pretty much been the number 2 sprinter out there for the last few years (since Yohan Blake's injury troubles started) hasn't he? And considering how beloved Bolt is around the world it's not that surprising that Gatlin, his closest competitor and a proven doper, becomes the easy villain. I remember around the world championships last year there was even talk about how a potential Bolt loss to Gatlin could be disastrous to the sport as a whole, destroying whatever legitimacy the general public still gives it after all the controversy it's faced throughout the years.

Also, again, I don't follow it that closely, but I admit that when I hear about a runner posting faster times at thirty-three than he did when he was busted for doping in his mid-twenties I can't help but raise an eyebrow a little bit and get Barry Bonds flashbacks.

Edited by AshleyN
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selkie

selkie

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3 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Because he's been popped twice. Once can be written off as youthful exuberence, twice means you're a serial cheater. You learned nothing from your first suspension.

 

Part of it was his successful appeals after both positives- the second one was supposed to be an eight year ban for being a repeat offender but it got reduced to four on appeal.

As for relay splits for the 4x100s, I'm stumped. For many/most, you could go to the main results page on the Rio web site, scroll down to where there's a link that says 'download' and start randomly clicking on 'results' links the following page until you've found something kind of what you're looking for. But nothing for either gender in the sprint relay, even if I cross checked against the IAAF results page.

sereion

sereion

(edited)

OMG Centrowitz! I remembered when he missed the podium four years ago, now he takes home the first gold in that race in over 100 years!! I am so thrilled for him!!! Loved his family's reaction. (On a shallow note, he's a cutie!)

Congrats to Caster Semenaya! I am so happy for her.

Edited by sereion
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SnoGirl

SnoGirl

1 hour ago, sereion said:

They lost the appeal.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/US-Mens-4x100m-Relay-Team-Disqualified-After-Claiming-Bronze-390767131.html

As a former track coach, this kills me. Not that they lost the appeal, but that the baton pass was so awful to begin with. My track athletes knew the number one rule of relays is "don't screw up the baton pass."  Even my throwers and jumpers, who had never run a relay, knew how serious those baton passes needed to be.

Man, I don't know, my heart is broken for them but as adults how do you not see on the lanes where you can and cannot pass the batons?? At the Olympics nevertheless....

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pennben

pennben

41 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

NBC had a great piece on Centrowitz and his father this afternoon. He came across well, very charming and funny. I'm still mystified why the good biographies are not being shown in primetime. 

I was just coming here to note that, it really was a great piece and I just happened to catch it this afternoon.  I'm old enough to remember when they actually featured these pieces in prime-time right before a race would be shown.  Sigh.

Anyway, as a Cubs fan, as soon as the announcer mentioned 1908 as the last win, my ears perked up! Also, now as a Cubs fan I'm trying to figure out whether or not it is good or bad omen that one streak of losses that started in 1908 has been broken this year.  Can there be only one streak broken at a time? Is it a good sign that this is the year to beat 1908 losing streaks? Why do I root for this team?  Also, big sigh.

Regardless, fantastic win for Centrowitz!

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KenyaJ

KenyaJ

So happy for Matthew Centrowitz, Mo Farah, and Bernard Lagat, though I'm gutted for Paul Chelimo. And I love Lewis Johnson, but it was beyond shitty to inform Chelimo of his disqualification on live television. My best friend and I were screaming at the TV.

And yay for Allyson Felix and the 4x400 relay team! Awesome race.

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selkie

selkie

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8 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

It's fascinating that all those records are by women. Is there a reason why the former East Bloc focused on the women over the men?

Steroids and testosterone were the most productive drugs of choice in that era, and they aided performance in women more than in men. So it just kind of worked out that way given biochemistry advances of that era. Later drugs like EPO  were more gender-neutral in performance improvement.

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Dots And Stripes

Dots And Stripes

11 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

Mo said hi to everyone at home in the US. Apparently he trains here even though he represents GB. Sweet but it looks like he realized it may not have been the best time to shout out the US after he said it.

What was that statistic Bob butchered about Allyson Felix? Something about all of her gold medals coming from individual events even though she just won gold in a relay. However she won those medals, she's incredible.

Scovies

Scovies

Just now, Shaynaa said:

So is there a particular reason why all the male runners wear actual shorts while most of the women wear bottoms so skimpy that they look like underwear?

I think it might be personal choice for the women? In the women's 4x100 three of the U.S. ladies wore what looked like bike shorts while English Gardner had on bikini-style briefs.

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