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

[Liverpool]

I liked him before I found out he was a manc.

I also fell for the Aprils fools that he was training with Liverpool.

[Shaggy]

Haha Bolt has just won his first heat in 10.20 and he was ****ing jogging.

[Darkon]

yeah, I saw that!

He is just a phenomenon that guy.

How depressing must it be for his competition training their whole life for a time he can jog.

[Ketario]

He's got a good name for a sprinter.

Tyson Gay doesn't like this

[marcus50bucks]

Bolt took the biscuit in the second round, he started having a chat with Daniel Bailey 25 metres before the finishing line. He came second but could easily have won it if he wanted too.

[Guest]

He's an arrogant prick.

[Neil Young]

I wish you'd run away from here as fast as him.

[Shaggy]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnWiBc-SoFc"]YouTube - Usain Bolt - 100 Metres - 2 Round IAAF World Championship Berlin 2009[/ame]

[Guest]

Maybe it's a trait associated with sprinters but **** me, they're arrogant pricks.

[Shaggy]

Bolt is totally charming, his uber-laid back nature is very endearing. That display in the 2nd round was beautiful, just jogging, smiling and having a laugh with his training partner. Nothing arrogant about that, just conserving energy.

[Neil Young]

Bolt is the greatest sportsman in the world.

[Guest]

Maybe I'm generalising things. I've lost interest completely with Athletics since doping charges started to fall left right and centre. To be honest with you, I didn't even know who the **** was Usain Bolt until you started a thread on him a couple of months ago. That's how I currently feel about the sport and totally unimpressed even if he's pushing the world record limits further.

I think he's broken Michael Johnson's 200m record also hasn't he? And he's probably going to try the 400m and beat that too. I never thought anyone would have surpassed that record for at least 30 years, that's how good Johnson was.

I guess they're all probably doped though, using more and more sophisticated means of disguising the thing. I read an article once by a scientist (it was around the time Lance Armstrong was suspected of using drugs), and he stated that with the money involved nowadays, ethics have gone out of the window and how far athletes (and doctors alike) are prepared to go to cheat.

The fact that Athletics is all about power, stamina and a lesser 'skill' level compared to sports such as golf, tennis, football etc, it is more prone to doping cases.

[Shaggy]

Bolt is the greatest sportsman in the world.

Maybe I'm generalising things. I've lost interest completely with Athletics since doping charges started to fall left right and centre. To be honest with you, I didn't even know who the **** was Usain Bolt until you started a thread on him a couple of months ago. That's how I currently feel about the sport and totally unimpressed even if he's pushing the world record limits further.

I think he's broken Michael Johnson's 200m record also hasn't he? And he's probably going to try the 400m and beat that too. I never thought anyone would have surpassed that record for at least 30 years, that's how good Johnson was.

I guess they're all probably doped though, using more and more sophisticated means of disguising the thing. I read an article once by a scientist (it was around the time Lance Armstrong was suspected of using drugs), and he stated that with the money involved nowadays, ethics have gone out of the window and how far athletes (and doctors alike) are prepared to go to cheat.

The fact that Athletics is all about power, stamina and a lesser 'skill' level compared to sports such as golf, tennis, football etc, it is more prone to doping cases.

I too have totally lost interest. There was a time when I was a kid that I'd be glued to the Worlds, watching every event with a keen interest. Now, I'll just watch the 100m through to the final, and the 200m too, and that's it.

Bolt is an absolute phenomenon, already the biggest legend in track and field history, eclipsing Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis and whoever else you care to mention. Tonight should see the fastest 100m of all time.

[Neil Young]

I too have totally lost interest. There was a time when I was a kid that I'd be glued to the Worlds, watching every event with a keen interest. Now, I'll just watch the 100m through to the final, and the 200m too, and that's it.

Bolt is an absolute phenomenon, already the biggest legend in track and field history, eclipsing Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis and whoever else you care to mention. Tonight should see the fastest 100m of all time.

You're right of course, I wasn't being serious but I do agree. I had no interest in athletics (except for a strange fascination for Kelly Sotherton) until Bolt came along. And I don't want to watch anything else than the sprints and women's heptathlon.

Fredo, there's an article in today's Guardian/Observer about how women's athletics is marginalised due to the fact that the records set by drug-fulled East Germans are so far out of reach. Perhaps that suggests that (most) top athletes are not actually on drugs these days since if the men who are beating world records are, then why are their female counterparts so far off the (doped) pace?

[Guest]

You're right of course, I wasn't being serious but I do agree. I had no interest in athletics (except for a strange fascination for Kelly Sotherton) until Bolt came along. And I don't want to watch anything else than the sprints and women's heptathlon.

Fredo, there's an article in today's Guardian/Observer about how women's athletics is marginalised due to the fact that the records set by drug-fulled East Germans are so far out of reach. Perhaps that suggests that (most) top athletes are not actually on drugs these days since if the men who are beating world records are, then why are their female counterparts so far off the (doped) pace?

You've got a point but off the top of my head, without any attempt at a deep analysis on things, maybe it's borne out of the fact that, generally, women's musculature are less developed than men's, meaning that techniques to improve muscle mass may be more difficult.

As for the East german women, I think they relied on 'hormones' to increase their performance levels, which I also think, is very easy to depict if someone goes this route.

I'm not sure at all about all the above, just for general debate.