Carl Lewis questions Jamaican dope testing, and questions Usian Bolt's 100M world records
Always controversial, Carl Lewis now questions the legitimacy of sprinter Usain Bolt's 9.69 100M world record Olympic sprint. From the London Times:
“When people ask me about Bolt I say he could be the greatest athlete of all time. But for someone to run 10.03 one year and 9.69 the next, if you don’t question that in a sport that has the reputation it has right now, you’re a fool. Period.”
Like many others, Lewis pointed to Jamaica’s perceived lack of testing as the foundation for his suspicion. “I’m proud of America right now because we have the best random and most comprehensive drug-testing programme. Countries like Jamaica do not have a random programme, so they can go months without being tested. No one is accusing Bolt, but don’t live by a different rule and expect the same kind of respect. How dare anybody feel that there shouldn’t be scrutiny, especially in our sport?”
As we pointed out several weeks ago, the disparity in testing among countries can be startling. As the old East German doping machine demonstrated, a clever coach with a good lab can time the use of steroids or other drugs to aid performance, yet avoid detection. Indeed, recent stories implicate contemporary Jamaican athletes with doping.
Lewis, who was allowed to compete in the 1988 Games in Seoul having been cleared by the
IAAF after being accused of testing positive for banned stimulants, said that he was not singling out Bolt and also questioned the performance of Jamaica’s female sprinters. The IOC targeted the Jamaica sprinters for blood-testing when they were in Beijing and none of them tested positive.
Lewis also expressed his anger that Antonio Pettigrew, the American who testified this year to doping when part of the United States Olympic title-winning 4 x 400 metres relay team in 2000, had kept his job as a coach.
However, it is Lewis’s remarks about Bolt that will cause a storm in Jamaica. Herb Elliott, the Jamaica team doctor and a member of the IAAF antidoping commission, accused the US of peddling “condescending crap” at the Olympics. “They still think we don’t know anything down in Jamaica,” he said.
The issue is not what Americans think or do not think about Jamaica, the issue is enforcing integrity in a world that too often cheats. The tracks records the past 40 years are clearly littered with drug cheating. It's high time to clean track and field up.
Test the athletes, post the data online, and verify the trust.
Is it sour grapes by Lewis, or does he have a point? I tend to lean towards the latter. When will we know? Unless Bolt tests positive eventually, we may never know. I don't think that makes Carl Lewis wrong for asking the question though.
Posted by: CheatorBeat.com | 09/13/2008 at 21:03
Why point your finger at the "old East German doping machine"? There are plenty of US-based doping machines. And at least East Germany conducted their program under doctors' supervision, not a former bass player for a rock band.
Oh, and let's not single out BALCO--they're an easy target. How many positive drug tests did the USOC/USATF conceal? What intelligence was gained from them?
Posted by: Larry D | 09/14/2008 at 09:17
It's fine Bolt has his gold but what is of concern is the world record.
If every tainted gold, silver and bronze medal in Olympic history was handed back, we definitely would see, there is not a lot of room to criticise others.
Posted by: StevieG | 09/14/2008 at 11:33
LEWIS NEED TO GO HELP > FEED THE POOR > AND STOP TALKING > THATS WHATS IMPORTANT TO JAMAICAN > WE YOU TO COM HELP FEED THE PEOPLE SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING DO MR CARL LEWIS > MAYBE YOU NEED HAVE A TALK WITH THE POOR > YES N SO LETS DO SOMETHING ABOUT MAN
Posted by: ME > JAMAICA> YOU >> FOOL> HMM | 09/14/2008 at 20:55
Steroid Nation may have to stop writing about Jamaican athletes, it seems to attract a very ignorant set of commenters.
Posted by: CheatorBeat.com | 09/15/2008 at 00:03
But CheatorBeat please note that those very ignorant commentators use a lot abbreviation lol and they certainly use it knowing it to stand for Limitation of Liability. So I would still encourage Steroid Nation to deal with doping in its all variations including global geographic coverage.
Posted by: Heppu | 09/15/2008 at 01:26
Does any one know the facts surrounding Carl Lewis , he was my hero, but I thought he was implicated in cheating, didnt the American Drug agency find him positive along with others but they kept in quiet? Because of this its why I am so suspicious towards Bolt.
Posted by: Wanda Truth | 09/15/2008 at 06:01
Just a few short points here: Jamaicans are not ignorant people, but we are getting a bit upset now at the USA's attempt to discredit the performance of Usain Bolt. If we want to talk about athletes and countries who have a proven track (pun intended) of cheating then the US and former USSR and East Germany come to mind.
How come nobody calls for the adjustment of Flo Jo's records which up to now (20 years later) cannot even be challenged? Even on your present team there wer members with 'suspicios history (Torrie Edwards and Damu Cherry. Go clean up your country first!!! For real fans of track, they would have known of Usain's dominance from a junior (check back 2002). He also has the world junior 200m record. This is not a guy who just came out of nowehre, he was runner up to Gay in Osaka last year, and made the 200m final in Helsinki 2005, which was won by Justin Gatlin, whom has since tested positive for drugs!
Posted by: Charles | 09/15/2008 at 14:23
Carl Lewis tested positive for stimulants before the Seoul Olympics. Some say it was 'inadvertent'; some -- like Dick Pound -- implicate the USOC for that omission. The director of the USOC at the time -- Dr Wade Exum -- became irritated, then resigned because many athletes were given free passes.
Track was extremely dirty during those days. Things have improved to a degree. But make no mistake that the elite level of runner was doped.
Lewis never tested positive for steroids. His physique doesn't have the muscle density of a steroid doped athlete. We could never say for sure he doped with a AAS....but the odds are lower than Ben Johnson who was caught doping twice.
Posted by: Steroid Nation | 09/15/2008 at 14:37
I don't believe US track fans are any more suspicious of Usain Bolt than any other country is. It is that Bolt is a relatively new sprinter, without an extensive history. I would think if Asafa Powell set the record, there would not be the notoriety that Bolt's performance has unleashed.
As an American-based fan, I would not think we are really biased against any country. In the environment today, any track record, not to mention an athlete who set 3 in less than a week is going to come under scrutiny.
Jamaica needs to be proactive...test the athletes, and post the results. That will reduce protests against records.
Americans are pretty sensitive to doping. Look at the steroid and HGH abuse in baseball. There are far more stories about Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens than Usain Bolt. Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis eat up more space than Jamaican sprinters.
Also note it's not a racial thing.
Posted by: Steroid Nation | 09/15/2008 at 14:43
I'm beginning to laugh now at all who are trying to discredit Usian and our athletes. I will talk about Mr Bolt as he is the main topic at the moment.
Mr Bolt was recognised as a future world record holder at the age of 14, albeit over the 200m and 400m. He was then taken from is home in trelawny to live the other side of the country in the capital kingston to train at the IAAF high performance centre at UTECH(University of Technology). As a junior he was one of the most dominant junior the world had ever seen. Running 45.56 for 400 at 17 and 20.13 for 200 at the same age. By the age of 18 he started concentrating on the 200 because he was lazy and didn't like the 400. He then went on to set the world first and only sub 20sec for 200 by a junior.
The thing that as caused him to just now achieving is potential is injury and laziness. It's well document that Bolt preferred partying than training up 18 months ago. He only took train seriously after he was beaten by Tyson Gay in Osaka. The coach said since then he has never been late for training as he said he never want to be embarassed like that again.
As for the 100 and the world records. Usain is 6"5" but he as manage to master is starting. Once he is up to full running he is covering more track than any other athlete. Infact 1 and a half more foot with each stride length. Do the maths our legs are turning over at the same pace and i'm covering 18 inches more than you with each stride. What you think will the the eventual results.
Posted by: Jerome | 09/16/2008 at 06:28
For many years the Caribbean had produced, areguably, the best junior sprinters in the world! Jamaica has been the number one Caribbean spint nation for many, many years. Check Olympic Games results, and you will see that Jamaica has been winning medals since 1948!
Carl Lewis' comments are biased, and disappointing! Carl Lewis, Andre Phillips, and Joe Deloach all tested positive at the 1988 US Olympic Trials; they all went all to win gold medals at the '88 Games, and the drug testing results were notmaded public until after the games.
How does Carl Lewis explain the sudden dominance of Maurice Greene, Justin Gatlin, Flo Jo? Carl said that he was proud of the US athletes. Let's see: bernard Legat (Kenya), Sanya Richards (Jamaica), Kerron Clement (Trinidad)...get my point? all these athletes, to name a few, now represent the USA!
Until proven guilty, the athletes have to be "innocent". If the Jamaicans are on drugs, they just created an even playing field. Remember, they (Jamaican) kick butt at the junior ranks, now that they are "drugged", they will obviouls kick butt at the senior level also.
Carl, deal with it. You, and 9 of the top 10 sprinters in the world are probably dopers. What you see now is that the dopers with the most talent are winning? I don't know, and neither does Carl Lewis.
I have to mention Michael Johnson. He ran 19.59 indoor at an NCAA indoor championship meet for meet record and USA record. I then wittnessed Obadele Thompson (Barbados) run 19.36 on the same track and obliterated Johnson's collegiate record! Thompson, at the tender age of 16 broke the world Junior Record - 10.07 for 100m. Bolt ran 19.93 to set the world junior record at the age of 17! Darrel Brown (Trinidad) broke the world junior record at 17 years of age - 10.06! Got me point, again?
None of the American sprinters, male of female, have been so dominant as juniors....enough said!
Posted by: Ron | 09/16/2008 at 23:23
Bolt does not have to cheat by using drugs. Unfortunately Americans can only succeed with the use of enhancers. Carl Lewis it is clear that there is someone out there BETTER than you SUCK IT UP and deal with it. MR. BOLT you are DAMN GOOD. Keep on keeping on.
Posted by: Joy Mullings | 09/19/2008 at 08:32
All of you are freakin' delusional. They're ALL using performance enhancers! Americans, Jamaicans, Germans, Canadians, etc. ALL of them. If you are a world class sprinter, you're juiced...Period!
Posted by: Cinimod | 10/06/2008 at 01:42
CARL LEWIS YOU ARE AN IDIOT
Posted by: | 10/07/2008 at 11:11
Carl......you ever hear about dasheeh bush, yams, manish water, goat head soup, fish broth, wild meat...eh?? For years people in the Caribbean eating good natural strong foods. We strong down here, we powerful down here, so chill out man....don't hate....come down for some foods guy......you'll see what I talking about...Irie mon!
Posted by: Robert | 10/09/2008 at 15:10
Man those were fast times....
Posted by: dodgy Bill | 10/26/2008 at 06:35
King-Carl may have some smudges on his glistening gold and people are understandably suspicious of xenophobia in this situation, but that doesn't change the fact that out of competition testing on the island needs to catch up with the rest of the world. I like Usain for the record, but all that testing at the OG and Euro $ircuit he and his countrymen are put through is not same as testing in the off season independently, randomly and frequently. Changes are long overdue and maybe the controversy will do some good, since the sport deserves better. So does 21 year old phenom Bolt. The amateur legacy of T&F will not support weight of rampant drug use like big money sports. The sport HAS to recover it's integrity or become marginalized and die. Right now T&F reputation is low as a dog as scandal engulfs marquee names and it's regrettable.
Posted by: benny | 10/28/2008 at 21:58
Why should I be suspicious of Bolt! You're just jealous you cannot run as fast as him- and weren't you the one who tested positive on those same Drug Tests you seem to be proud of! You're a loser, Bolt is a winner!
Sir, Jamaica is the most tested nation in Track, and still we emerge with gold! You have no place to question us: it is the ackee, dumplin, yam, and banana- if your looking for drugs!
Posted by: Jamaica | 06/18/2009 at 20:50