Talk about longevity. Jamaican born, now Slovenian bred Merlene Ottey attempts to qualify for her 8th straight Olympic game this weekend...as a sprinter! Incredible. The Guardian carries a story on the legendary sprinter.
Jamaican-born sprinter Merlene Ottey will race twice in four days in a last-ditch effort to become the first athlete to take part in eight Olympic Games.
Ottey, 48, will run at meetings in the Slovenian city of Maribor on Saturday and Tuesday in an attempt to achieve the Olympic 100 metres qualifying time by the deadline on Wednesday.Ottey has taken part in every Olympics since the 1980 Games in Moscow and her tally of eight medals is more than any other woman in track and field. She competed for Slovenia at the 2004 Games after six Olympics with Jamaica."Of course she wants to run at these (Beijing) Games because she would be the first ever to participate at eight consecutive Olympics," Ottey's Slovenia coach Srdjan Djordjevic told Reuters. "If there are ideal weather conditions, she could qualify."He said Ottey has been suffering for years from an allergy that usually starts in April or May and ends in the second half of July. Ottey, who became a Slovenian citizen in 2002, has also won 14 world championship medals, including two titles.At the 2000 Olympics, Ottey won a silver in the relay for Jamaica to become the oldest female track and field Olympic medallist.She also has a 100 metres bronze from the same Games after her U.S. rival Marion Jones last year admitted to taking steroids and returned her medals from the Sydney Games.
Ottey has to be the greatest female sprint athlete in history, in terms of Olympic medals and Olympic longevity. Consider her times progression (after the jump). She ran her best times as a sub-11 sec sprinter from age 24 to age 38, which is incredible durability. Her best time was at age 35 when she ran a 10.74.
Ottey's times are relatively stable. Looking at her times at age 41/22 = 102%, or a loss of only 2% in a ten second sprint. However the point is she performed better at age 22 than at age 41.
Also note that Ottey tested positive for nandrolone in 1999 (at age 38, when her previous times dipped); however she beat the test -- a feat possibly more difficult today. Could nandrolone account for her longevity?
|
Year |
Age |
Time, 100M |
|
2008 |
47 |
11.80 |
|
2007 |
46 |
11.56 |
|
2006 |
45 |
11.34 |
|
2004 |
43 |
11.09 |
|
2003 |
42 |
11.22 |
|
2002 |
41 |
11.28 |
|
2001 |
40 |
11.31 |
|
2000 |
39 |
10.99 |
|
1999 |
38 |
10.97 |
|
1998 |
37 |
11.01 |
|
1997 |
36 |
10.83 |
|
1996 |
35 |
10.74 |
|
1995 |
34 |
10.85 |
|
1994 |
33 |
10.78 |
|
1993 |
32 |
10.82 |
|
1992 |
31 |
10.80 |
|
1991 |
30 |
10.79 |
|
1990 |
29 |
10.78 |
|
1989 |
28 |
10.95 |
|
1988 |
27 |
11.00 |
|
1987 |
26 |
10.87 |
|
1986 |
25 |
11.06 |
|
1985 |
24 |
10.92 |
|
1984 |
23 |
11.01 |
|
1983 |
22 |
11.07 |
|
1982 |
21 |
11.03 |
|
1981 |
20 |
11.07 |
|
1980 |
19 |
11.36 |
|
1979 |
18 |
11.59 |
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