The shocking collapse of Phelps, Bolt and many others...

[Ugbowo]

Na "igbo" or "indian hemp" or marijuana or "ganja" or plain old weed cause all this. Too much partying.

[Field Marshall Ogolo]

How can you detect a performance enhancing drug if you don't know what you are looking for? That is the problem dope testers face. They can only test for what is known. In the meantime, designers of PE drugs are forever seeking ways to fool testers by using methods not yet known. Until someone spills the beans, and provides a sample of the drug of choice, testers cannot develop a test.

Good question! Don't worry Ohsee. There's no honor among runners from different countries. It will come to light one day. There' s just no way Jamaica as a country could just wake up to dominate the world sprints like that! Last time that happened, East Germany was still a country .
Even that shawtie ( who won 100m Olympic gold in Beijing) with a beautiful baby smile plus bedroom eyes - was found to have ingested " cough syrup" ! Same goes for Veronica Campbell Brown. Too masculine! Only clean sprinter is Alyson Felix . The rest have to prove it.

[okjazz]

There' s just no way Jamaica as a country could just wake up to dominate the world sprints like that!

Jamaica has always produced world beating sprinters. Olympic gold medalists like Linford Christie, Donovan Bailey are Jamaican and others like Don QUARRIE and Herb Mckinley.

In the last 10 years, drug testing has become better. As such USA is no longer dominant. With the collapse of the iron curtain, Eastern Europeans no longer have state funded doping regimes, so Eastern Europe is no longer dominant. That has opened the way for Jamaica who always lost to doped up runners. Not to mention that Jamaica has undergone a transformation in how they conduct their athletics programs. This is producing better runners. Are some doping ? Maybe. But given the circumstances, its reasonable to believe that Jamaica's rise in athletics is legit.

As for Bolt, it is difficult to stay on top for more than 4 years. Right now he has back and hamstring problems. Most runners are at their peak for 2-4 years. Bolt has been a top tier runner since 2007 and his running career goes back to when he was 15.

Phelps stopped taking swimming seriously after he won 8 gold in 2008. He lost motivation.

[Field Marshall Ogolo]

There' s just no way Jamaica as a country could just wake up to dominate the world sprints like that!

Jamaica has always produced world beating sprinters. Olympic gold medalists like Linford Christie, Donovan Bailey are Jamaican and others like Don QUARRIE and Herb Mckinley.

In the last 10 years, drug testing has become better. As such USA is no longer dominant. With the collapse of the iron curtain, Eastern Europeans no longer have state funded doping regimes, so Eastern Europe is no longer dominant. That has opened the way for Jamaica who always lost to doped up runners. Not to mention that Jamaica has undergone a transformation in how they conduct their athletics programs. This is producing better runners. Are some doping ? Maybe. But given the circumstances, its reasonable to believe that Jamaica's rise in athletics is legit.

As for Bolt, it is difficult to stay on top for more than 4 years. Right now he has back and hamstring problems. Most runners are at their peak for 2-4 years. Bolt has been a top tier runner since 2007 and his running career goes back to when he was 15.

Phelps stopped taking swimming seriously after he won 8 gold in 2008. He lost motivation.

Okjazz,
You put too much trust in our brothers from Jamaica. Although we do not have the evidence right now, their 2008 team was up to their eyeballs in dope. Lack of evidence does not prove innocence. But the truth will come out one day. You do have a point on why American sprinters have collapsed like a pack of cards. Better testing!

[Comrade Machel]

I think if evidence of doping ever comes to light regarding Usain Bolt and the current crop of sprinters, that will sound the death knell for the Olympics. I for one will stop caring about them and i suspect many others too

[okjazz]

Okjazz,
You put too much trust in our brothers from Jamaica. Although we do not have the evidence right now, their 2008 team was up to their eyeballs in dope. Lack of evidence does not prove innocence. But the truth will come out one day. You do have a point on why American sprinters have collapsed like a pack of cards. Better testing!

Jamaicans are not innocent. But there is not a shred of evidence that there is mass doping. There is however evidence that better drug testing and a better athletics program has given Jamaica a leg up.

Kenya & Ethiopia too have been a beneficiary of better drug testing. None of the Kenyan women running and winning today would have been able to match the Eastern European women of the 1980s. Kratochilova et al would wipe the floor with Jelimo. There is still massive doping in Eastern Europe but to a much lesser extent.

[Mudi E]

Banned substances? That's what it seems like, folks.

same thing that came to my mind...too much C02 in the lungs..

Even Carl Lewis had his own suspicions on Bolt's mind boggling improvement.

Carl Lewis suspected everyone that beat him and thereafter.

Carl Lewis himself should have been investigated for the use of performance enhancements...there was a rumor about him using steroids a while back.

[The YeyeMan]

Banned substances? That's what it seems like, folks.

same thing that came to my mind...too much C02 in the lungs..

Even Carl Lewis had his own suspicions on Bolt's mind boggling improvement.

Carl Lewis suspected everyone that beat him and thereafter.

Carl Lewis himself should have been investigated for the use of performance enhancements...there was a rumor about him using steroids a while back.

Lewis is known to have taken banned substances. The American authorities knew but cleared him to run in Seoul 88 to avoid a scandal.

[sinequanon]

All "top" Olympic sprinters use performance enhancing drugs.

[Field Marshall Ogolo]

All "top" Olympic sprinters use performance enhancing drugs.

You may have a point. That may explain why resource poor African runners no longer feature in any of the sprints!

[ohsee]

All "top" Olympic sprinters use performance enhancing drugs.

Kpom.

[The YeyeMan]

All "top" Olympic sprinters use performance enhancing drugs.

Kpom.

Good to know you have faith in that assertion.

[Gboye7777]

Surely we should assume innocence till proven guilty? Until Bolt and the Jamaican team are proven to have used designer drugs they are innocent in my book and I look forward to watching him defend his title.

[mcal]

Only clean sprinter is Alyson Felix . The rest have to prove it.

...until she's caught. Normally towards the end of her running career when the youthful juice has gone and some boost is needed.

[toyin133]

How can you detect a performance enhancing drug if you don't know what you are looking for? That is the problem dope testers face. They can only test for what is known. In the meantime, designers of PE drugs are forever seeking ways to fool testers by using methods not yet known. Until someone spills the beans, and provides a sample of the drug of choice, testers cannot develop a test.

Or as Donald Rumsfeld said
"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."

[okjazz]

How can you detect a performance enhancing drug if you don't know what you are looking for? That is the problem dope testers face. They can only test for what is known. In the meantime, designers of PE drugs are forever seeking ways to fool testers by using methods not yet known. Until someone spills the beans, and provides a sample of the drug of choice, testers cannot develop a test.

Ohsee

With regard to the above bolded part, drug testing has indeed advanced beyond simply testing for banned substances. Scientists can indeed test for unknown substances. By using the BIOLOGICAL PASSPORT. Below is a good definition I found for biological passport.

An athlete biological passport is an individual, electronic record for professional athletes, in which profiles of biological markers of doping and results of doping tests are collated over a period of time. Doping violations can be detected by noting variances from an athlete’s established levels outside permissible limits, rather than testing for and identifying illegal substances.

Some athletes have actually been busted based on biological passport. It is difficult but it means that IOC, IAAF, FIFA etc need not test for banned substances. There are other tools they can use if they choose to use them or if they can. It cant catch everyone but its a tool that can be used to test for unknown substances.

Some American runners like Allison Felix and Tyson Gay were amongst the first to volunteer for biological passport as far back as 3 years ago

[kash n' karry]

Regardless of this Olympic, Bolt and Phelps are still gonna be some of the greatest olympians ever. Phelp is gonna win some medal.. .atleast a gold to make him the most medal and gold decorated Olympian ever, WHILE Bolt will win some more medals at this olympics and his 100m record of 9.63secs may not be broken in our lifetime. At some point I hope he will bring it below 9.5secs
=====================================
Chance favors da prepared mind !!

[mate]

All "top" Olympic sprinters use performance enhancing drugs.

Kpom.

Have to agree. I've know a few athletes across a range of sports. What I heard about drugs is dismaying.

And for those of you who have played high school and college level sports in the US, you know that a good % of athletes use drugs. It is what it is. I don't see this ever changing, simply because:

1) The political will isn't there.

2) The more advanced nations are typically ahead of the testers and consistently get away with it, encouraging cynicism.

For me, the Olympics are entertainment, not really a legitimate athletic competition. Too many sports are too impacted by drugs, obfuscating the ideal of competition.

Cheers, Mate

[GREENWHITEGREEN]

The Jamaicans are actually VERY consistent.

Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt are consistent.

KPOM.
It's the American Track & Fields that are actually very suspect.
They suddenly stopped dominating the sport with the introduction of more sophisticated drug testing.

As for Phelps, it is hard for a young man to be motivated when he's already set for life with a reported $40 million in earnings since he became a superstar.

[ohsee]

The Jamaicans are actually VERY consistent.

Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt are consistent.

KPOM.
It's the American Track & Fields that are actually very suspect.
They suddenly stopped dominating the sport with the introduction of more sophisticated drug testing.

As for Phelps, it is hard for a young man to be motivated when he's already set for life with a reported $40 million in earnings since he became a superstar.

I don't understand the logic of these arguments. If the Americans are only performing well because of drugs, why would the Jamaicans, who are doing even better in terms of time than the Americans, not be on drugs?

[The YeyeMan]

The Jamaicans are actually VERY consistent.

Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt are consistent.

KPOM.
It's the American Track & Fields that are actually very suspect.
They suddenly stopped dominating the sport with the introduction of more sophisticated drug testing.

As for Phelps, it is hard for a young man to be motivated when he's already set for life with a reported $40 million in earnings since he became a superstar.

I don't understand the logic of these arguments. If the Americans are only performing well because of drugs, why would the Jamaicans, who are doing even better in terms of time than the Americans, not be on drugs?

Ol'boy show us the logic in your belief that all "top Olympic sprinters use performance enhancing drugs".

[juventuss]

Some of these athletes are. Some are not. Bolt to me represents what the future sprinter would most likely look like. Look at someone like LeBron James. He is 6'8 and 270 pounds but is just so athletic that it's almost impossible to guard him.

[GREENWHITEGREEN]

ohsee,

It is the strongest arguement for America's shocking decline in a sport that they dominated for so long.

Remember the world's suspiciouns about the East German's drug use were confirmed after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Also, Unified Germany is nowhere as dominant as the former East German.

BTW, most of the Jamaican athletes actually train and attend colleges in the U.S.