Doping/Performance Enhancement
Lindsey Scherf Explains Her Situation
Friday, August 29th, 2008Reader John Scherf, father of Lindsey Scherf, who was suspended for a doping violation for refusing to submit to a test, writes:
Recently on July 20, 2008, you published an article on your home page titled “Dick Pound Is At It Again”. In that article you mentioned Lindsey Scherf. I thought you would like to know more about Lindsey’s case. A few days ago Lindsey was finally able to go public with her story at lindseyscherf.org.
While Dick Pound no longer heads WADA, he was WADA’s CEO when WADA decided to waste $100,000 to $200,000 to appeal Lindsey’s case to CAS for a longer 2-year suspension. Given the circumstances and all the mistakes made by USADA, IAAF and ASADA, no suspension, or a warning, might have been more appropriate. Thanks.
Thank you for keeping us posted, John. I agree that a warning in Lindsey’s case would have been much more appropriate than a one-year suspension. I call for WADA, USADA, IAAF and ASADA to do the right thing: reinstate her immediately with a warning.
No News Is… Bad News?
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
One side says fewer doping positives at the Beijing Olympics is good news. The other side says it’s bad news.Which side of the debate are you on?
Please be sure to leave a comment!
Looks Like Hyleas Fountain Will Upgrade Her Bronze Medal To a Silver
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
Now that Lyudmila Blonska of the Ukraine has tested positive for steroids after winning the silver medal in the heptathlon at the Bejing Olympics, it appears that American Hyleas Fountain will get to trade in her bronze medal for a silver. Blonska’s "B" sample is being tested today and there will be a hearing tomorrow to iron out this latest doping mess. If the "B" sample matched the "A" sample then Blonska would be disqualified, expelled form the Games and probably be banned for life since this is her 2nd positive.
This incident renews the calls for a lifetime ban for a first offense or at least a tougher sentence of 4 years. Blonska apparently wasn’t deterred by a two-year suspension, so a four-year ban is probably the way to go. Most athletes can’t come back from a four-year ban and compete at their previous level, especially if they’re no longer juicing.
Beijing Track & Field Medal Count (After Day 4)
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008Gold = 3 points
Silver = 2 points
Bronze = 1 point
| NAT | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total Medals | Total Points |
| USA | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 20 |
| RUS | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
| KEN | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 16 |
| JAM | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | |
| ETH | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| BLR | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | |
| UKR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| GBR | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| POL | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| NZL | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| AUS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| BRN | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| CMR | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| CUB | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| EST | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| PAN | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| ROU | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| SLO | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| ECU | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| FRA | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| RSA | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| TRI | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| TUR | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| MAY | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| CAN | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| CHN | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| GRE | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| LTU | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Not The Olympics I Expected
Sunday, August 17th, 2008Wow! This is certainly not the Olympics I expected! There’s the whole NBC coverage thing (or severe lack thereof), there’s the severe medal drought thus far by Team USA and now I see that Russia—a team that has been accused by the head of the IOC’s medical commission of systematic doping—is leading by a wide margin in the Track & Field Placing Table. What’s next? Is the…
No, never mind. I don’t want to say anything that might remotely jinx these Games even further for Team USA. Let me put my Pollyanna glasses on and figure out whether or not there’s a silver lining around the Bird’s Nest.
IAAF Council Cancels 4×400m Relay World Record
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008Beijing - Following the recent confession of Antonio Pettigrew, who has admitted to using human growth hormone and EPO between 1997 and 2003, the IAAF Council, today decided to cancel the current World Record for Men’s 4×400m, set by a US team including Pettigrew, with immediate effect.
This means that the world record for Men’s 4×400m will now be 2:54.29, set by the USA team during the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart.
Beijing Olympics: Women’s 800m Preview
Saturday, August 9th, 2008In my Beijing Medal Predictions, I have changed my choices for silver and bronze in the women’s 800m. I had thought all Russians were suspended but as it turns out only Yelena Soboleva has been. Tatyana Andrianova (RUS) will win the silver and Svetlana Klyuka (RUS) will take bronze.
That being said, I do have my suspicions about both athletes. It just seems too coincidental that they’ve both set PRs during the same season that the Russian team is being accused of systematic doping and have the 3rd and 4th fastest times in the world during a season that has produced some incredible times in the event. Even so, they haven’t been suspended, so they will be running in Beijing. I won’t be rooting for them, but they will probably finish 2nd and 3rd.