UK Sprinter Dwain Chambers lays out chilling inside look at track doping via BALCO

Carrying excerpts before the mid-March publication of Dwain Chambers new book "Race Against Me", The Daily Mail shows the chilling (and expensive) world of big time track doping.  Chambers admits to more than 300 drug cocktails from BALCO (and other sources).  To Earth Times:

London - Disgraced British sprinter Dwain Chambers admits in his forthcoming autobiography "Race Against Me" that he took a concoction of over 300 performance-enhancing drugs. In an installment published in Tuesday's Daily Mail ahead of next Monday's release, Chambers, who served a two-year ban after being found guilty of doping offences in 2003, said he had paid out 30,000 dollars a year for doping substances.

"I wasn't just on THG, EPO and HGH, but testosterone to help with sleep and reduce cholesterol," he said. "On Christmas Day (in 2002), as I sat in the bathroom with 'The Clear' (THG), I realized I had been taking drugs - more than 300 different concoctions - for 12 months.

During that time, Chambers says he passed 10 doping tests as well as winning the 100-metre gold medal at the 2002 European Championships. However, his times hadn't improved that dramatically and he was also often troubled by stomach cramps.

"When I was clean, my personal best was 9.97 seconds. A year on, after the sleepless nights, the anxiety, the pain of the cramps, the blood draws to make sure I wouldn't suffer a stroke, or worse, the inconsistent races and the disappointment of missing events, my PB (personal best) was 9.87 seconds," he wrote.

Some of the drugs: The clear (THG), testosterone, insulin, HGH . Provigil, T4, and EPO.  Dangerous...Yes.  Effective...apparently.  Chambers says his time went for a PB of 9.97 to 9.87, nice gains.  The cost, you can see above the price.

The discussions?  This discussing with Tim Montgomery about Conte and BALCO:

I  (Chambers)should have seen the danger signals when Montgomery snarled at me one day: ‘Yo, Dwain! You wit that n***** Conte? Don’t go anywhere near that c********r. Let me tell you, Chambers, he’s bad news.’

I was unnerved, but he didn’t elaborate. I didn’t know there was a huge row brewing between Montgomery and Conte. Tim had probably taken a well-educated guess that I was clean and didn’t want me dragged down. I just wish he had been more constructive, instead of hurling obscenities in the direction of Victor.

And a discussion with Conte:

Conte had convinced me that a new drug meant I could train harder and more often. He called it The Clear (THG) and The Cream.

‘Is it illegal?’ I asked.

‘It’s undetectable.’

‘Is it banned?’

‘The Clear is not on the prohibited list and neither will cause a positive test.’

‘Isn’t that cheating?

‘They’re cheating you, Dwain. You’re a talented athlete and you’re not competing on a level playing field. Most of the top sprinters are on steroids. Every time you race you’re at a disadvantage.’

Ah, rationalizations...

Comments

[tennisroids]

Rationalization, yes, but these guys get one shot or maybe two at the Olympics (no pun intended). Either they make it or they don't. If they don't take the 'roids and everyone else does, they don't get a Gold Medal sent to their homes after coming in fourth at the trials when the other competitors are disqualified.
The irony is that this atmosphere is to some extent created by the pusher Conte, who gets other athletes on his 'roids, then says you can't compete with them unless you use it.

[Larry]

It's also the old, "I was good without the steroids" load of crap. It's like Arnold saying he's won bodybuilding contests with and without drugs.

In an athlete's mind, it could be true that the drugs don't help that much. After all, it's impossible to distinguish when you're taking something. I reckon that's why Lance is coming back. He probably thinks he's still that good even without the drugs. I reckon he'll find out otherwise the first time he tries to climb one of those hills and it's just not there.

[fromlancetolandis]

He's English, I assume the book will be here too but I don't know how soon.

What a way to earn a Pound and as I said, he just set a European record in Italy.

60 m in 6.46 seconds. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/athletics/7931339.stm

[fromlancetolandis]

I wanted to amend my comment: their athletes are best called "British" athletes as they run for Great Britain. I'm reading one source saying he's English with Afro-Caribean roots so for Olympic-type sports, I wanted to correct myself and call him British.

[Supras Shoes]

Think about it Beans is better than both Game and Buck so kick them and add that monster is a real good look for G-Unit!!!

[UGG Greenfield]

I must say this is indeed a very good novel, though, I have just reached about half way down the road reading the novel but has been the one that has always kept me interested in it. I just can't keep myself to get done