Shocking! I never expected to see 19.19 in my lifetime, but then I expected Michael Johnson's 19.32 WR to last for decades, like Bob Beamon's long jump WR. (Bolt is such a mutant that I won't be surprised if no one else comes close to MJ's 19.32 for a long time.)
During the Beijing Olympics some readers objected to my stating flat out that Bolt is a more exceptional and impressive athlete than Michael Phelps. Does anyone (who knows something about both track and swimming) still disagree?
I have to join the community in hoping that Bolt isn't on something.
If he is, then I think we ought to revisit what we are willing to accept in these competitions. If we can't quickly identify "cheating" maybe we need to drop some of the "rules" we've been using.
On something, or not, Bolt is amazing. The thing that blows me away is that even the uneducated can identify that he is not at his peak. I mean - this guy is breaking stride and coasting 80% of the way into the race. If he's legit, the best is yet to come. And his latest timings defy a century of records.
There's something seriously fishy here. As of 2007, his personal records were 10.03 in 100 m and 19.75 in 200 m. He's not a young boy any more (he's 23) and to have this kind of progress in two years is nothing short of miracle.
Personally I'd bet 2:1 that he's on something powerful but undetectable.
What jumped out at me is the way the authorities currently detect illegal drugs: with a mass spectrometer, which identifies the type and relative number of atoms in a given molecule. This information, or "fingerprint" is then matched against a list of known drugs and if there is a match then the athlete has been caught.
By tweaking these molecules in various ways, according to the article, you can make a virtually unlimited number of "undetectable designer drugs," at least until someone turns in an empty syringe with a sample inside, which is how the first such drug was discovered several years ago.
I ran track in college, and swam both in high school and now, 25 years later, as a master's swimmer. I've swum against future olympians and past olympians, and ran on the same area track club as two future olympic marathoners.
Having established my bona fides, I have to say that both Bolt and Phelps are once in a generation talents. Phelps is actually now in the latter part of his career, but he dominated the sport over half of the swimming record book. It was just a matter of choice, his choice, what events he'd concentrate on and win. He's been doing that since he was 15-16 years old.
Bolt is just as superlative, but is just a recent phenomenon. I'd compare him to Alberto Juantorena or Michael Johnson. However, he hasn't yet reached the level of Edwin Moses or Sergei Bubka, the track athletes who compare most directly to Phelps: men who dominated for decades.
I had some doubts, but not anymore. He is Da Man!
ReplyDeleteYeah, almost too good to be true. Don't suppose he could be on one of those new "undectable designer drugs"? See here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.culturekiosque.com/nouveau/sport/designer_steroids4_beijng_games.html
Phelps is for real. Bolt is on something.
ReplyDeleteI have to join the community in hoping that Bolt isn't on something.
ReplyDeleteIf he is, then I think we ought to revisit what we are willing to accept in these competitions. If we can't quickly identify "cheating" maybe we need to drop some of the "rules" we've been using.
On something, or not, Bolt is amazing. The thing that blows me away is that even the uneducated can identify that he is not at his peak. I mean - this guy is breaking stride and coasting 80% of the way into the race. If he's legit, the best is yet to come. And his latest timings defy a century of records.
There's something seriously fishy here. As of 2007, his personal records were 10.03 in 100 m and 19.75 in 200 m. He's not a young boy any more (he's 23) and to have this kind of progress in two years is nothing short of miracle.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd bet 2:1 that he's on something powerful but undetectable.
Here is a better link to the four page article I reference above:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.culturekiosque.com/nouveau/sport/steroids_olympics220.html
What jumped out at me is the way the authorities currently detect illegal drugs: with a mass spectrometer, which identifies the type and relative number of atoms in a given molecule. This information, or "fingerprint" is then matched against a list of known drugs and if there is a match then the athlete has been caught.
By tweaking these molecules in various ways, according to the article, you can make a virtually unlimited number of "undetectable designer drugs," at least until someone turns in an empty syringe with a sample inside, which is how the first such drug was discovered several years ago.
I ran track in college, and swam both in high school and now, 25 years later, as a master's swimmer. I've swum against future olympians and past olympians, and ran on the same area track club as two future olympic marathoners.
ReplyDeleteHaving established my bona fides, I have to say that both Bolt and Phelps are once in a generation talents. Phelps is actually now in the latter part of his career, but he dominated the sport over half of the swimming record book. It was just a matter of choice, his choice, what events he'd concentrate on and win. He's been doing that since he was 15-16 years old.
Bolt is just as superlative, but is just a recent phenomenon. I'd compare him to Alberto Juantorena or Michael Johnson. However, he hasn't yet reached the level of Edwin Moses or Sergei Bubka, the track athletes who compare most directly to Phelps: men who dominated for decades.
Bingo.....how he could do when others just....hmmm....can't believe as others say....he is the man...
ReplyDeleteDebera
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Imagine if Manea had been on 'roids like Kenteris.
ReplyDeleteHis record lasted for 17 years until MJ ran 19.66 in a 'roid rage.
he´s awesome ;-)
ReplyDelete