A story in the Jamaica Observer today looks at the prominent Jamaican athletes busted for drugs. From the piece, one can read Jamaica is proud of the Olympic heritage (Update, Usian Bolt sets two world records at the Beijing 2008 Olympics)
Despite being a small island, Jamaica regularly gets more Olympic medals than countries many times its size and wealth. Jamaica has produced this year's four fastest women at 200 metres, four of the top six at 100 metres and the fastest man in both events in the sensational Usain Bolt. But modern athletics has been overshadowed by doping scandals, and even Jamaica is not free of suspicion.
Jamaica's prowess in athletics is no recent phenomenon. In 1948, Arthur Wint won Jamaica's first Olympic gold medal in the 400 metres. Herb McKenley won four medals from 1948 to 1952, and the incomparable Merlene Ottey won nine medals from 1980 to 2000.
However the drug-cheats abound on the island:
The list of those barred from competing is long and includes Jamaica-born sprinters who trained elsewhere, for example Ben Johnson in Canada, Linford Christie and Dwain Chambers in England. Jerome Young and Patrick Jarrett (who were coached in the United States by another Jamaican expatriate Trevor Graham) also fell foul of the authorities. Merlene Ottey failed a steroid test in 1999, while training in Europe. But this was later ruled a laboratory error. Patrick Jarrett failed a steroids test in 2001 and Steve Mullings tested positive for testosterone in 2004.
Trevor Graham (a 1988 relay silver medallist for Jamaica) started a track camp in North Carolina featuring Marion Jones, who had passed more than 160 drug tests before finally acknowledging steroid use. In San Francisco in May, Graham was convicted on one felony count of lying to federal agents and awaits sentencing September 5.
Marion Jones is due to be released from prison in September after serving a six-month sentence for lying to federal investigators.
Other Jamaican stars, including Asafa Powell's older brother Donovan, have tested positive for stimulants.
There are drug and PED testing difficulties in Jamaica, which lead to skepticism. However, the Jamaican athletes will be soon be showcased in Beijing. Interesting to see what will follow on and off the track.
The problem is that Jamaica is not a signatory to the Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO) and has not yet set up its own national anti-doping agency.
However, Jamaica Olympic Association boss Mike Fennell and Dr Herb Elliot have refuted recent criticisms that Jamaica is not doing enough testing. In fact, Mr Fennell last week revealed that 90 drug tests were carried out in Jamaica since the start of the year with another six done out of competition.
In addition, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) does come to Jamaica and tests its athletes regularly. Despite all this, sceptics insist that Jamaican athletes are less likely to be tested out of season than others, that some local officials may collude with athletes to protect them from visiting testers, and that illegal stimulants either do not show up in tests or disappear from the bloodstream in a matter of weeks.
Do sprinters need huge arm muscles? Do the outsize arm musculature of Bolt and Powell raise questions of steroid use?
Posted by: Lind | 08/17/2008 at 13:01
"Do sprinters need huge arm muscles? Do the outsize arm musculature of Bolt and Powell raise questions of steroid use?" Racism rears its ugly little head again... how many athletes have bulging muscles? it kind of comes with the programme.
"90 drug tests were carried out in Jamaica since the start of the year with another six done out of competition"
"the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) does come to Jamaica and tests its athletes regularly"
So what is really the problem here? Are us rebelious enslaved africans still a thorn in your pride?
You people make me feel ill to my stomach...
Posted by: Hru | 08/18/2008 at 04:27
Get a grip race man. Sure I believe that a 21 year old unknown who has run only 5 100m in his life can win gold and even ease up at the 85 meters. Why not run the whole race and shatter the record unless your hiding something. I mean after all you worked for it did'nt you. Unless, possibly, maybe, just perhaps your guilty about a little extra help that you received. Hmmmmm I don't know...3 Jamaican women all get medals with a world of star athletes get zip. Yea, call me a race man but let me be the first to say.....been around a little while....watched track for the last 30 years and if these guys are clean.....then I will eat Jamaiican yams from now till kingdom come. Brian in Idaho
Posted by: Brian in Idaho | 08/18/2008 at 09:37
Start eating those yams. Why are you so skeptical, is it because they are Jamaican? hmmm Sounds like you are biased and upset your country didn't win those medals. Bolt already broke the world record, why does he have to run faster to prove anything to skeptics like you?!! He already shattered the world record. If he was American would you be just as skeptical, I think NOT. Stop being a poor sport, LOSER!
Posted by: American Girl in NYC | 08/20/2008 at 01:27
Why don't you post an article about the NUMEROUS American athletes that have a past with steroids? BIASED! Years later when Bolt is retired and still testing clean, you will eat your words!
Posted by: American Girl in NYC | 08/20/2008 at 01:44
American Girl: Have you read the article that gives you the laundry list of Jamaicans who have failed drug tests?
There are numerous articles on here concerning Americans who failed drug tests.
Posted by: Please! | 08/20/2008 at 01:51
With reference to HRU and the chip on his shoulder. Comments about - possible - Jamaican drug cheating are NOTHING to do with 'Enslaved Africans' if you knew your history, Hru, you would know that West Indians are all of mixed European and African blood....Bob Marley was only a quarter black. So dont play the African slavery card.
Posted by: MattyBoy | 08/20/2008 at 10:47
Start eating your yams/cocos/sweet potatos/bananas (green) and all our other varieties of native starches. Maybe then you'll be able to keep stride.
Those who tout Jamaicans tested positive, you do realise that they have been tested positive OUTSIDE of Jamaica. Many of these are second generation Jamaicans whose parents migrated. Drugging seems to come with the territory when you represent First World countries, the USA, Canada, United Kingdom! These countries cannot win without drugs!!!! The criers!
Get your information straight!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT TARNISH THE IMAGE OF Jamaican Athletes.
Posted by: miss'ive Jamaican | 08/20/2008 at 11:38
Start eating your yams/cocos/sweet potatos/bananas (green) and all our other varieties of native starches. Maybe then you'll be able to keep stride.
Those who tout Jamaicans tested positive, you do realise that they have been tested positive OUTSIDE of Jamaica. Many of these are second generation Jamaicans whose parents migrated. Drugging seems to come with the territory when you represent First World countries, the USA, Canada, United Kingdom! These countries cannot win without drugs!!!! The criers!
Get your information straight!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT TARNISH THE IMAGE OF Jamaican Athletes.
Posted by: miss'ive Jamaican | 08/20/2008 at 11:39
It's sad when you can't even think critically about something without being called a racist. If you're not at least a little suspicious about how an athlete's performance can improve so vastly in so short a time, without the aid of chemical refreshments, you're either a.) someone who's never participated in sports; b.) a child; or c.) a gullible rube to whom I'd like to sell a certain bridge in Brooklyn.
For a whole year before he shattered Roger Maris's home-run record, I was telling people that Mark McGwire was nothing but a doped-up freak. He's white, you know. I'm still having a ball, telling people "I TOLD YOU SO!"
I look forward to doing the same when we learn that Mr. Bolt's feet, like ours, are made of clay (that's been pumped up with STEROIDS!).
Posted by: methane-of-cawdor | 08/20/2008 at 13:31
Those of you who are calling suspicions of steriod use by Jamaicans
racist are the racists. Virtually all the competitors are black.
Posted by: | 08/20/2008 at 21:27
Usain Bolt didn't come out of nowhere. He ran a 21.1 in the 200m at 17. At 15 he ran the 400 in 45. If you've really been following track and field, he's been a phenom since an early age. The fact that he ran the 100 in record time as his 5th outing in the event shouldn't be suspicious for someone who showed exceptional talent at anything he ran for several years. He's not like Flo Jo where her times improved by well half a second over 18 months. Usain was always a top runner from the get go.
Regarding his muscle build. He actually looks quite slim and less bulky than the current American crop of sprinters (all with necks the size of their thighs).
The only thing that makes me suspicious is that Jamaica testing is done by their team doctor. I'd say that a dubious conflict of interest. If the really want to come clean, they need to be tested through out the year by a 3rd party.
Posted by: TNails | 08/21/2008 at 10:22
Usain Bolt didn't come out of nowhere. He ran a 21.1 in the 200m at 17. At 15 he ran the 400 in 45. If you've really been following track and field, he's been a phenom since an early age. The fact that he ran the 100 in record time as his 5th outing in the event shouldn't be suspicious for someone who showed exceptional talent at anything he ran for several years. He's not like Flo Jo where her times improved by well half a second over 18 months. Usain was always a top runner from the get go.
Regarding his muscle build. He actually looks quite slim and less bulky than the current American crop of sprinters (all with necks the size of their thighs).
The only thing that makes me suspicious is that Jamaica testing is done by their team doctor. I'd say that a dubious conflict of interest. If the really want to come clean, they need to be tested through out the year by a 3rd party.
Posted by: TNails | 08/21/2008 at 10:23
I am American, and if Americans were winning the way the Jamaicans are I would be on the Net trying to find out whether or not they were juicing. I really hope Jamaica isn't because it's incredible what they are doing.
Posted by: MikerDougie | 08/21/2008 at 20:07
Let's hope Bolt is real and Jamaican's don't feel the pain we have with Marion Jones! Look at her roots of doping and there is a correlation to Jamaica.Hope he is and stays clean and clear! Doping is unfortunately way too prevelant in to many amateur and professional sports these days. Hungarian Sprint paddler dies in boat at practice in the peak of his health and life. That's a stimulant that blew him out not natural causes!
Until world class athletes all agree that cheating in any way is not to be tolerated by there peers and themselves it will continue.
Posted by: scotthorn | 08/21/2008 at 20:34
One of the problems with male-hormone boosters and their analogues is their highly visible effect on the female body. It is nearly impossible for a female to naturally grow the huge traps (trapezius back/shoulder muscles) and neck muscles like Veronica Campbell-Brown and SO many other female sprinters, no matter how hard they pump iron. Now maybe Veronica needed to build that big upper-back and neck to run faster, or maybe she is also an Olympic weight lifter; but I doubt either. To prove that I am not exhibiting cultural prejudice, the same male characteristics are evident in MANY American sprinters, like Tori Edwards. Performance-enhancer use is rampant in Beijing. Only the really stupid ones get caught. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either not facing or recognizing the “strong” evidence, or is being intentionally deceptive for some emotional reason. If you want to see a representative race between steroids and natural, watch the 200 meter final between Campbell-Brown and Allyson Felix. Now just imagine how Felix feels after losing to a cheater. (I’ll guarantee you the non-users are fully aware of the problem.) The only consolation is that the drugs don’t yet boost intelligence (they dropped the batons) or endurance, so we can still enjoy watching plenty of sports that aren’t “overrun” with cheats.
Posted by: yfuinhi | 08/21/2008 at 20:54
Veronica Campbell-Brown got those thighs, back and arms without steroids or a similar banned product? It is physically impossible to achieve w/o banned chemicals. There is a better chance the female Chinese gymnasts are actually in their 30's, than Veronica is clean. What a joke that there are people trying to make excuses for her.
Posted by: Darius | 08/21/2008 at 22:53
Darius, I can't tell whether you realize it, but I was in agreement that Veronica Campbell-Brown likely did not get those thighs and back and arms naturally.
Posted by: yfuinhi | 08/22/2008 at 02:25
I grew up loving track and field. The beautifull, sleek runners moving down the track like gazelles, it was human art at its finest. But over the past decade or so, I have been very turned off by track. I have no interest in seeing muscle bound full backs explode through the finish line. But I'm on again. You can just look at the runners' bodies and see that something is different. The runners are muscular (they do work their asses off), but they are not as lean and bulky as years past. The criminal prosecution of big name athletes has made a difference.
As for a 22 year old shattering the world record. That's the way it should be. That's win male runners are at their peaks. We've become so warped watching these muscle bound 30 year olds shatter records, that we've lost touch with reality.
Finally and most importantly, doping is a rich country or track club game. In the early stages, clubs like the Santa Monica track club had all the good stuff (it didn't make them so bulky back then though). I lived in Houston at the time. It was common knowledge among my friends who ran collegiate track. If you signed with King Carl's gang, you were assured of at least one gold medal or at least a number one world ranking (remember Carl Lewis was a long jumper). America dominated and all was right with the world. I mean after all the eastern block countries were cheating, we were just trying to even things out.
Later other runners, who actually had some natural talent, got access. All of a sudden things weren't so okay. Americans cried foul, until our cries lead right back to our own hen house, taking out beloved figures like Marion Jones and other top stars along the way. But remember the others who got access, many of which had Jamaican roots of course, ran for or trained in rich countries.
I don't mean to offend Jamaicans and I think I can say this having been married to a Jamaican-Amercian for over 20 yearsn and having adopted it as a second country, Jamaica does not have any labs in place that are going to fool anyone nor does the country have the ability to purchase the really good stuff for poor athletes.
No. What we are seeing is the natural result of what happens when everyone is on a nearly level playing field in track. Track is "the" sport in Jamaica. Every kids runs. Just as every kid plays soccer in Brazil. It makes sense that they would do so well. As a friend, who was from the Bahamas and ran collegiate track, told me 15 years ago, "Those damn Jamaicans are fast. I could beat everyone from all the other islands, but I couldn't beat them."
Posted by: chris | 08/23/2008 at 09:23
I am a runner and have large muscular arms. Sprinters need a strong upper body for the quick burst. Distance runners tend to have a smaller upper body.
I am from US and I think Jamaica was great. Their runners looked great.
Posted by: Mateo | 08/23/2008 at 10:34
I live in the US and I am sick and tired of this coountry. It is so hypocritical when it come to use of steriods by white male athletes. Just take a look at Baseball which I am no watching, is riddled with steriod. They have branded Jose Conseco a lunatic while a number of White steriod users have continued to play baseball while the media find excuses for them. It is a fraud.
Posted by: caleb page | 08/23/2008 at 11:41
I can see how envious so many of you are of Jamaica's success. Get over it. By the way, if Veronica Campbell-Brown is on steroids, so is Tyson Gay since they share the same coach and have since college days. Veronica is a class act, and so is Tyson Gay; both are drug free. You cynics obviously don't believe in what can be achieved with shear hard work; no wonder your desire to cheat and your win at all cost attitude. There is a poem that all Jamaican kids learn at a very young age, and it goes like this:
" The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, But they while their companions slept were gently toiling through the night." These athletes begin training at 5 AM while I am sure most of the US athletes were sleeping. Stop hating. By the way, Usain Bolt is descended from tha Maroons who were among the fiercest slaves in Jamaica and the Caribbean; he is descended from strength, not even the slave master could contain.
Posted by: | 08/23/2008 at 16:54
Time will tell...and I'm 99.9 percent sure it will tell the sad story of some performance enhancing drugs were used to win many/most olympic medals. It is obvious that the times set by former competators, who were proven to be on steroids, don't even compare to Mr. Bolt, for example. So, you want to tell me a clean guy can run faster than the proven steroid freaks like Ben Johnson...you must be on dope too. The people who blow away the world's other best athletes are on something...simply it has proven itself time and time again. That is probably why Bolt pulls up at the finish line so as to try and make it somewhat believable. Why else would you not go for the fastest time the world will ever see. Everybody wants that world record that will stand forever as you never know if an injury or drug test might side-line you permanently.
Like I said, time will tell. Apparently some athletes can fool some of the people all of the time.
Posted by: juiced | 08/23/2008 at 22:16
...and I don't care what color the athlete is. We're talking about a race here all right -- not a race of people, but a race of meters. The only way to correct this problem is to have, not only the athlete banned, but the entire country should be banned from the next olympic games. That would send a strong message and would insure that the proper policing was done prior to the olympic games. No country would run that risk and if they did, they would have a lot of explaining to do to the rest of their mates.
Posted by: juiced | 08/23/2008 at 22:26
I like b(o )( o)bs
Posted by: Mr. Boobs | 08/25/2008 at 04:36
Mateo,
Please explain why sprinters need big traps and necks like Veronica Campbell-Brown for the quick burst. What is the physiology of that? Now explain how the other male-like characteristics of her body and face are also required for sprinting? Will “coincidence” be your explanation? Or maybe she is a female with testicles. HAHA
Posted by: yfuinhi | 08/25/2008 at 10:03
Jamaicans faster than train and bike!
Posted by: Never going to FAIL | 08/25/2008 at 12:54
Of course Brian in Idaho feels racism is a joke, Kootenai County is the global center of racial harmony. Brian's review of history should go back 72 years when adolf hitler(the idol of present day Kootenai County)held the same views as most of these haters(reference 1936 Berlin Olympics).
I don't understand how performance enhancing drugs helped the Jamaicans pull the batons from the Americans grasp twice!
Banning people from competition will return you back to the glory days of no Negroes in baseball and a pure Augusta National championship.
Has anyone identified what Tiger Woods is taking in order to defile your "Gentlemans Game"??
Posted by: danny | 08/25/2008 at 20:02
I'm not sure how Tiger Woods relates to this discussion. Tiger woods is certainly not of any specific background. Looks like Asia has more dibbs on Tiger than does any other race.
Tiger Woods himself is; one-quarter Chinese, one-quarter Thai, one-quarter African American, one-eighth Native American, and one-eighth Dutch.[9] He refers to his ethnic make-up as “Cablinasian” (a portmanteau term he coined from Caucasian, Black, (American) Indian, and Asian)
Posted by: seeing isn't believing | 08/25/2008 at 20:19
Every gold medal athlete that may have enhanced their performance with a banned substance is at the center of this discussion. It's not a race isssue it's an issue about a race.
Did Bolt and others use performance enhancing drugs is the simple question here. I personally believe he likely did. That is just an opinion. One day it will be proven right or wrong. Mr. Bolt does not have to prove he is innocent to anyone. It's the other way around, and until he is proven to have used something to enhance his performance...his world record stands as the official world and Olympic record. That cannot be taken away from him without just cause. So, simply let time tell the story. He will either be discovered or he's a phenom of the likes the world has never seen.
Posted by: seeing isn't believing | 08/25/2008 at 20:26
I just hope we get to the day where the testing is superior to the masking techniques...and it will become useless to attempt to cheat. That would be the best thing all sports, in general, could hope to have happen.
Posted by: seeing isn't believing | 08/25/2008 at 20:30
Why is whitey only giving bolt hell but phelps is getting a free ride? WHitey dose not want to see a black man successed. Dope is a common thing in most professional sports but whitey gets in a RAGE when its a black man lol. Whitey only cares if its the black man thats cheating and making them look inferior.
Posted by: whitey | 08/27/2008 at 20:38
Phelps is to receive 40millin in endorsements this year. Gee, I wonder why these guys cheat and then look you in the eye and lie.
Posted by: righty whitey | 08/29/2008 at 13:54
Dont understand y people hating on my Jamaican runners. I guess they dont understand what hardwork and perseverance is all about. I dont see anyone saying that Phelps is takin drugs after winning so many gold medals, but there seems to be a problems with the Jamaican team. For years we have been outshined by athletes on drugs, now that the field is level its our time to shine. So i just want to tell all those hates to leave us be and let us enjoy this moment many years in the makin.
DEM TOO BAD MINE AND DEM CAAN STOP WE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
JAMAICA TO DE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Jamaicangirl | 09/03/2008 at 12:47
I bet if your countryman tested positive you wouldnt be saying ban the whole country?
Posted by: tafari | 10/09/2008 at 00:43
time will only tell that more americans took performance enhancing drugs, better you pray for the technology to fail or those athletes just quit, cause if we a tek drug, we a de boss, we will run left de drug n we faster than time. Drug testing no affect we.
Posted by: tafari | 10/09/2008 at 00:48
yea n phelps, de dude is clean, fake peple, drug users they know they will be caught, look in their eyes, their suprise celebration is anticipated, unless you just very confident, thats phelps. check back Marion jones races. Ben johnson n Gatlin, yea but not like Bolt YEAH ME ADI BOSS!!
Posted by: tafari | 10/09/2008 at 00:54
I Think that the Americans need to leave the Jamaicans alone because the US have dominated the Jamaicans many times, and they didn't say any. The US are only mad because they didn't get a chance to take their drugs, ever since mirian jones got lock up they all got scared. They all need to shut up because this time they got served.
Posted by: islandgirl21 | 03/12/2009 at 15:03
These things are jokes sometimes i tell you, How is jamaica responsible for some one who left Jamaica at age 7, trained his enitre life outside of jamaica...then test positive for drugs....and how the hell is jamaica responsible for someone who has jamaican parentage,,,,but never set foot on the soil....i mean c'mon...if that the best u got for jamaicas drug cheating history....well i say you have nothing.
Posted by: hugo | 08/03/2009 at 20:54
as much as i like the comment about banning the entire country form an Olympic meet this means that American will never compete and by the way New world record !!!!958 suckers !!!!!!!! if he was juicing we would no by now !!!
Posted by: Rico | 08/17/2009 at 11:36
Bolt and those other Jamaicans who won are definitely cheating. They take the drugs in the off season and are ready to go when track season starts. They will come out negative during the track season but they've already cheated. Bunch of f###ing cheaters.
Posted by: Marty | 08/20/2009 at 21:06
All u bad minded Americans jus FUCK OFF! Y is it u all jus want to slaughter d Jamaicans because they r doing well... Give it a break bitches... U all remember Gayle Divers an how muscular she was? Y now ques V.C.B an is jus wishing the worse for her.. U all r a set of unscrupulous mother fucking son of a bitches... I kno u can't bear to c others doing better than you.. As a matter of fact thats ur history, a quest to always ave full power, to always b on top and as soon as u are challenge then it becomes a hugh problem.. U really want or should i say need to c Jamaica go down dont u? Well dont pressure urself because ur gonna die leaving us standing even stronger.. I really love America but It's people like u gives props to a envious back stabbing society... I'm really happy I've never met real Americans like u.. Plz leave u b an stop praying for d worse to happen to Jamaican athletes because u definately won't live to c it... period! Dem ago tiad fi c wi face, dem caah get wi otta d race! When u digging a hole remember to always dig two.............
Posted by: Sant | 06/15/2010 at 22:55
Use whatever excuse you want too, "the Race Card", the "Poor Country, we are picked on Card", any of them to argue against any intelligent person knowns. Every time there is a statistical jump anomally in Track and Field it has eventually been proven to be performance enchancing drug cheating.
Nobody has gigantic leaps like the Jamaicans did at Bejing otherwise. Whether it is the East German 1972 Women's swim team, Marion Jones, Flo Joe, Ben Johnson, Floyd Landis, Mark McQuire, Jose Conseco, Bobby Bonds, etc. it always comes out to be the same. Cheating
A country of a few million can not defeat 9 billion people as dominately as was done without the roids of some type. Remember many of the athletes I listed tested okay through most of their careers only to admit to cheating later or have an untimely freak death of heart failure or something similiar.
So kudos to the Jamaican Sprinters for finding the newest way to cheat to win. Enjoy it while it lasts. If that is all you and your fans have, you need it.
So many top level sporting competitions have become dishonest competitions of cheating through better applications of chemistry, that it would probably be best just to stop them and teach our children the value of true moral standards instead of who can cheat the best. Or level the playing field and let everyone cheat.
Posted by: catmandu57 | 07/05/2010 at 14:29
...and I don't care what color the athlete is. We're talking about a race here all right -- not a race of people, but a race of meters. The only way to correct this problem is to have, not only the athlete banned, but the entire country should be banned from the next olympic games. That would send a strong message and would insure that the proper policing was done prior to the olympic games. No country would run that risk and if they did, they would have a lot of explaining to do to the rest of their mates.
Posted by: Discount Louis Vuitton | 07/22/2010 at 09:15
I bet if your countryman tested positive you wouldnt be saying ban the whole country?
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