Running, Track and Field discussion

Usain Bolt has turned in one stunning performance after another for the past two years. He has set world and Olympics records. He often wins the 100 meters by several strides ahead of the nearest competitor. But his records and victories have come very suddenly, and he burst onto the scene as the greatest sprinter of our time after being a mediocre runner just a few months before. Unfortunately, he reminds me of Ben Johnson with his very sudden, seemingly inexplicable improvement. We all remember when Johnson was caught cheating with steroids, and was forced to forfeit his gold medal in the 1988 Olympics 100 meters. Carl Lewis, the great American sprinter of the 1980s and early 1990s, was a victim of Johnson's cheating and has echoed my own skeptical opinion of Bolt. Lewis said in 2008, "When people ask me about Bolt I say he could be the greatest athlete of all time. But for someone to run 10.03 one year and 9.69 the next, if you don't question that in a sport that has the reputation it has right now, you're a fool. Period."

I want to believe that Bolt is doing these great times and is clean. The sad thing about the state of track and field and many other sports for that matter is that one has to be cynical, if for no other reason than the many times people have appeared to be legit, only for us fans to find out that they weren't.
Still, "hope springs eternal..."

Bolt is very clear imo until something bad really hapens. If he was an American sprinter i would be more worried. Those has made american sprinters name a disgrace. Many champions like Gatlin,Montomgry,Marian Jones etc

Douglas sounds a little jealous imho.

Sudden, seemingly inexplicable improvement ?

Did you follow sprint events before Bolt era of dominence ? I saw him becoming 4,5 place years before he become a really top sprinter. He was always a big talent that experts was saying would become the best.

I thought he was too tall,skinny to be really fast heh.

Mohammed,

The ranks of track athletes cheating with steroids are not exclusively American.

I am way too old to be jealous of Usain Bolt. My races were far longer than 100 and 200 meters, and my competition days ended probably before you were born. Even my children are older than Mr. Bolt.

I simply agree with Carl Lewis, the superb American sprinter who did not cheat but who was victimized by a steroids cheater, the notorious Ben Johnson of Canada. To initiate this discussion about Mr. Bolt, I quoted Mr. Lewis as you know.

There is no doubt that Usain Bolt is a superb sprinter. I hope that my suspicions will prove to be wrong; but we have seen this meteoric rise out of no where only to learn later that the sudden superstar had had some illicit chemical assistance.

Let's stay tuned.

Be well.

Douglas in South Carolina

I was not really serious about you being jealous just wondered if it was because Bolt was Jamaican and not American who use to dominate sprint distances before recent dominaton of Jamaican males,female sprinters.

Of course there are alot of different nationalities cheatng but in Sprint it has been mostly Americans in recent years that got caught big time. Those guys was extra shame because they were champions.

Im a big fan of 100,200,400,800 meters. I dont care about other events that cheat more in Track and field as much.

I think if you think Bolt is cheating because he is a superb sprinter then you might as well stop competing. You are letting the few cheaters ruin for 1000s of honest people. You migth as well call Michael Johnson,Carl Lewis cheaters because they were too good to be true too...

Thinking Bolt is cheating is like the French who say a great Champion like Armstrong is a cheater just because he won 7 Tour De France and he wasnt French.

Mohammed,

As a cancer survivor, I revere Lance Armstrong. Speaking of jealousy, the French never accepted him because he won their race seven consecutive times. We cancer survivors focus on Lance's victories because he achieved triumph after one testicle, part of one lung and part of his brain were removed, followed by his endurance of the hell of long-term chemotherapy. He should have died. Yet he came back from the abyss and achieved one of the greatest athletic feats of all time.

Lance was tested more than any athlete in history. He was cleared of any blood doping and other cheating by a full investigation. But the relentless French refuse to admit the truth ... because he won their race seven consecutive times against the odds. Jealous, don't you think?

Americans get caught more because in our transparent, media-driven society, athletes are under more scrutiny than their counterparts in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.

That Bolt may be cheating is not an indictment of all successful athletes. Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson always passed drug testing; Ben Johnson of Canada did not, and was compelled to give up his gold medal which was then given to the rightful winner ... Carl Lewis.

Americans, except against Bolt, beat all other nations' sprinters. Bolt's Jamaican 4 X 100 relay team still loses to the Americans most of the time. In fact, Tyson Gay has out-sprinted Bolt on the anchor leg of that relay. The United States athletic authorities invoke an aggressive drug testing program, certainly more extensive than ... Jamaica.

So let's see how this plays out.

By the way, I was never a sprinter competitively. Instead, I competed in the 800 880 yards actually), the mile, and mile relay back as a school boy in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Stay well.

Douglas in South Carolina

Agressive drug testing program then how did they miss so many cheaters that won Olympic Gold,WC in recent years. Over here media,experts was doubting the testing of American sprinters and they were right in the end because many who won medals years before they got caught.....

Tyson Gay can out sprint Bolt in relay where its about a team and not 1 on 1.

I do hope Gay,Powell can challenge Bolt more in coming years. It wont be fun if he wins easily all the time.

My personal fav was Michael Johnson he would have been unreachable to Bolt record wise if he had as much challenge.

Most observers are aware that Europeans have looked askance at American sprinters, and attributed our runners success to steroids. I disagree, of course; and as a student of human nature, believe that Europeans cheat as much as anyone else.

Of course european cheat too but in sprint distance i lost the belief that Michael Johnson showed me. The great american sprint rep died for me after Gatlin,Jones,Montgomry,the other sprint relay guys.

I dont care about Russian cheaters of long distance. Sprint distance is more holy to me.

Not like i dislike American sprinters i just dont like any sprinter cheater that have won medals on them...

Ah, a runner I've actually heard of ... Mr. Bolt. Amazing in the Olympics. Seemed almost effortless.

Time and again we find athletes letting us down by cheating with steroids or the latest doping method. I hope it is not the case with Bolt.

Lance! Everybody who doesn't like him claims he cheats. I think he's proven he doesn't dope time and again and still won. Not this year; guess he's human afterall. Still, quite an achievement, all those Tour de France wins.

John,

Your views and mine are consistent.

I hope that Usain Bolt has not cheated; but his sudden, extreme success is otherwise inexplicable.

Armstrong remains the most tested athlete in history, and was always cleared by the evidence. He was exonerated by investigatory panels. Most significantly, Lance has inspired millions who face cancer, including me, to fight for survival. He continues to raise millions of dollars for cancer research and for patients who cannot afford treatment. He is a hero on many levels.

Douglas in South Carolina

Sprinter burn out fast, they come they conquer and disappear. Only the legends can dominate for 5-10 years. We will see if Bolt is in that league as he wants to become a legend who stays undefeated.

John,

I wish I were smart enough to articulate like you. Your statement is absolutely correct. The best example of your point is the peerless Carl Lewis.

Douglas in South Carolina

I think he has not taken steriods because they have caught so many people that have took them. Although there still is a chance he took them.

Given the growing financial responsibilities to his sponsors, Mr. Bolt is under increasing pressure to excel and to break more records. We have seen this "incentive" imposed upon athletes many times before. When a sprinter in a race as short as the 100 meters suddenly improves his time by half a second within a short period of time, he or she has often benefited from outside chemical assistance. Consider Marion Jones and Ben Johnson.

Meanwhile, the chemists created the so-called "designer" steroids to be virtually undetectable with present drug screening. The only way we'll ever know for certain whether Mr. Bolt has cheated is when someone blows the whistle. Yet given his stature as a national hero in Jamaica and a prominent asset in that country's advertising for tourism, the likelihood anyone will come forward is virtually nil for the foreseeable future.

I only mention this issue because as a former competitive runner, I deplore and condemn cheating of any kind in this great sport. Cheating demeans all competitors and their accomplishments, and diminishes the traditional virtues of hard work, perseverance, and honesty. Others outside track and field become cynical and skeptical about track competition, and stop paying attention. In the United States, for example, track has plummeted in popularity during the past twenty-five years or so because many assume that runners are cheating with steroids.

I have always been an admirer of Florence Griffith-Joyner. Her brilliant successes on the track were matched by her larger-than-life personality and flamboyant style.

The late Flo-Jo, however, was plagued by allegations that she used steroids. Like Usain Bolt, her very sudden, marked improvement in the 100 and 200, her setting several national and world records during a short tenure as a world class sprinter, and her developing an especially muscular physique, generated suspicions throughout the sports world.

Consequently, consistent with the sentiments expressed in my posts here, I changed the representative photo for our Group from an exultant Flo Jo to a victorious Glenn Cunningham. We all know beyond any doubt or even speculation that Mr. Cunningham was no cheater. He did not use "performance enhancing drugs"; quite to contrary, he overcame loss of muscle tissue and mobility, and incredible pain, to emerge as one of the world's top milers. He endures as a hero, some seventy years after his track career ended.

I think no has right to talk about Bolt like that, he is proven innocent until he has cheated,got caught.

Im not a big fan but he is a great sportsman until if he ever cheats. He is just another Carl Lewis,Michael Jonson to me. Another great man who takes sprint to another level,dominates his field.

If you actually follow sprint comptetions outside US ones you would know Bolt was a great talent years before he got big. Why isnt Gay a cheater ? He is suddenly the next best in history ?.....

Mohammed,

I figured that we'd hear from you. I am glad that you challenge my opinions because a civil, robust debate is what freedom of speech is all about; and I cherish our mutually enjoyed freedom of expression. Thank you for joining this debate and for offering your views.

Mr. Bolt is free to compete and to be paid for his endeavors. Yet I am just as free to express my opinion and my concerns. When he entered the field of competition, Mr. Bolt like all professional athletes opened the door for praise and criticism, for adulation and judgment. Such is the price of fame.

I am compelled to counter one implication you floated just now. Mr. Bolt was NOT a big international success until he burst on the scene a couple of years ago.

I trust that Tyson Gay is not cheating; but if Gay is using steroids as I believe Bolt is, then they both should be barred from competition.

Your misapprehension notwithstanding, I closely follow international track and field, and have for longer than you have been alive.

The influence of big money in track and field drives the lust for immediate, incredible success. And the drive for such achievements with the promise of monetary and material awards pushes many competitors to cheat. This illicit condition is what I am decrying and condemning. It needs to end because it is ruining this sport.

Thank you again for your participation and for expressing your viewpoints. You and I obviously share a deep appreciation for this great sport as evinced by our common passion and zest.

Best regards.

Douglas in South Carolina

But there is a big difference between International success and a world class talent the experts was saying could become world best. He was not a sudden explosion of speed. He was regular third,fourth place in 200m 5,6 years ago. Of course when he is 20 he cant compete against the best. He was skinny and tall. You should know as you say follow international track and field.

Why should you trust Gay more ? It sounds like American jealousy to doubt Bolt and not Gay is all im saying. Just like The French is jealous of Armstrong domination.

I think the best sprinters are perfect,great until they get caught if ever. The money isnt everything specially when they dont make 100s of millions like like Golf,Basketball money wise.

Im just saying its rare the best sprinter getting caught for cheating. It has happened only few americans,Ben Johnson in the last 20+ years.

Ben Johnson is Canadian.

I am new to the group but will chime in here...

I was a track & field fan during the 80's when Carl Lewis was the king of the sport. He competed at the world class level for 15+ years in the sprints and long jump.

A few years ago I saw a brief interview with Lewis when he was asked about PEDs and how other athletes recognized when someone was taking them. He said that it took him a full ten years of training, conditioning, and technique to cut his 100m sprint time by 0.1 seconds, from 9.96 back in 1981 down to his 9.86 world record in Tokyo in 1991.

When a sprinter suddenly starts dropping his 100m sprint times by 0.1 or more in a single year (like Johnson and Bolt did) it served as a red flag to Lewis and others that the athlete was juicing.

Bolt certainly has the raw talent to sprint at the world class level. But the meteoric improvement he has shown makes me suspicious. Which is a shame really, since I love the sport and wish that it could overcome its sometimes shady reputation.