The Athletics Thread (... but predominantly about Bolt)

[spud_gun]

What about the Americans. Their track and field programming has been riddled with drugs for decades. Some of the highest profile drugs cheats are American yet as a country and a programming they generally don't come in for as much critisim as others.

[Gibbo]

It's been happening since Ivan Drago.

[Daniel 7]

Remember the east german women? Russian gymnasts? Those female Chinese distance runners who smashed world records then disappeared? As spud gun said, not to mention Flo-Jo and Carl Lewis...

[kev776]

https://twitter.com/sportingintel/st...28951878148096

Just read that, quite shocking that it is so widespread.

[ChesterDave]

[ame]https://twitter.com/robinedds/status/670193090565693440[/ame]

[Hollowman]

Bolt has withdrawn from the Jamaican Olympic trials with a hammy.

[ChesterDave]

Jessica Ennis, good night.

[Buzzo]

Nesta Carter

Absolutely ****s Bolts 100% Olympic record.

[Hollowman]

IAAF are going to scrap all standing world records unless the athletes had recorded a robust series of doping tests in the months leading up to it
No FloJo. No Powell. No Gareth Edwards.

[ChesterDave]

Jonathan Edwards is fine though?

[Hollowman]

Ha! I typed Flo Jo and was obviously thinking about Godzilla.

[Buzzo]

It seems a pretty severe action by the IAAF. The chopping head off to cure headache approach.

Surely watching athletics will just be totally confusing if there is no real clarity over what the World Record is, and the fact that you could technically become a World Record holder by running slower than a 'clean' former record holder just makes the whole thing pointless.

Also, they claim they've thought of everything without considering full on doped up ultra-athletics. Genetically mutated roided mega athletes competing in a hybrid robot wars (the team that creates the athlete surely deserves recognition) Olympics mega event?

Those old records would quickly become redundant.

[Rich]

Also, how does removing old records have an impact on the current generation taking drugs?!

[Buzzo]

Also, how does removing old records have an impact on the current generation taking drugs?!

I was listening to 5Live this morning and they had Cram, Jackson, Radcliffe etc as well as some boffins and an IAAF guy contributing. And one of the biggest problems (and there are loads of big issues with it) is that this ruling makes the the assumption that athletics is currently clean.

[Hollowman]

I applaud this level-playing-field philosophy and would push for further measures. It should be a two-way policy. Today's athletes should have to run in 70s footwear and 80s short-shorts.