Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Options
Panarama - Allan Wells - Drugs
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Galen Rupp just pulled out of the Portland Track Festival this weekend. Guess no more statements on his vitamin supplements then ...
Farah feeling upbeat. Maybe he just wanted to be with his family which is understandable. Maybe he'll be moving them back over to the UK in the coming months?
Im not sure a guy who spends 3 months at a time in the wilds of Africa, would suddenly struggle with not seeing his family for a weekend of running in the UK.
Ha no chance. He'll be living and retiring in the States, thats for sure. You watch, he'll say the kids are settled, no point uprooting them etc etc. And thats fine, Im just saying thats what'll happen is all.
Of course he'll stay in the US for all of those reasons, but mainly because he is RICH beyond your dreams of avarice.
🙂
I wonder if they would be quite so ready to stick the knife into sir Bradley or sir Chris or sir Stephen. Or Lord coe. I doubt it.
Whatever are you suggesting Nayan??? Surely you're not playing 'that' card are you?
I read that too - thought provoking stuff. Link
Being an arrogant sports star who's head has been turned by money doesn't make him a drug cheat though. That is still to come.
I think anyone would find great difficulty in sticking the knife into Sir Chris or Sir Stephen who have that drive and focus and have probably caused others around them to make many sacrifices to allow them to chase their dreams but come across as totally humble and likeable.
As far as the article is concerned there is some truth in it and some journalistic direction - for example he is a money grabber in one paragraph, then in the next paragraph he lets all his fans down in Birmingham but no mention of the fact that he lost his appearance fee for not turning up and just putting in a sub standard performance which surely would have been the money grabbers option.
Jess Ennis pushed him out of the top 3 in the most competitive SPOTY ever but was the poster girl of the Games and has a smile to die for. No mention of the fact that he got 3 times as many votes as Sir Chris Hoy and over a 100,000 more than Rory McIlroy.
In 2013 he did only finish fourth but in a none Olympics year athletics is a bit of a minority event for the British public - no analysis of this in the article either and he got way more votes than Chris Froome who won the TdF.
EDIT: More strange possibly is that in a very weak SPOTY 2014 he didn't even make it as one of the 10 nominees despite winning double gold and the first Brit to win the GNR for ages but this was down to a panel and not the public.
The one thing I've never been comfortable with is Mo's UK 1500 metres record. Taking 5 seconds off your PB at age 30 and running faster than Coe, Cram or Ovett ever did - 3 MD specialists and acknowledged all-time greats ...?
All that high altitude training init
"If you want to achieve a high goal, you're going to have to take some chances" - Alberto Salazar.
To be fair, there is no evidence that Mo has ever cheated and if the NOP has discovered new, legal ways of boosting performance it is only to be expected that they would keep them secret.
Its kind of funny that 9 years ago, the issue of Salazer, Rupp, Goucher, Thyroid ailments and EPO were all brought up in a single thread. Apparently sometimes the chickens do come home to roost.
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1339359
It seems the journalist who wrote that article achieved the objective. That's to sell copy.
These creatures write a version of something based on something and go as far as they can in making up stuff without ending up in court being charged with libel.
All and sundry suck it up as the absolute truth for no better reason than they read it.
As for Farah running that 1500m at the age of 30. The doubts are always based on the same thing, 'Why didn't he do it when he was younger & how can he run faster than X,Y, or Z?
Does it ever occur to anyone that Farah's training was slipshod and half baked for years and years. Yes he ran fast, but it wasn't off a decade of optimum training.
When I was 29 years old I ran a set of times for various distances which; after another 4 years of slog, I concluded were going to be the fastest times I'd ever run.
Three years later I shattered those times out of sight.
I wonder if some commentators assume people are simply born being able to do things and only do training as some sort of penance.
🙂
I wish I had a pound for ever article I read with the phrase 'There is no suggestion that Mo Farah is involved with doping.'
Its their get out of jail free card.
Having said that, Im not sure the article you're talking about Ric necessarily implies he's been sprinkling a little too much sugar on his Frosties but is more about why the GB Public haven't really taken to him.
And you have to admit, you're more than a little biased given the fanboy nature of your meeting with him that time in the shoe shop.
But no, Mo had enough money to pay a better runner to coax him along and then let him finish first... Which is nuts.
Also, the African/Somalian born, American resident is 100% British. He even pays his taxes abroad, which kind of makes him middle ranking aristocracy.
Mr I, what actually is the point you are trying to make? A lot of people here are saying they reckon Mo is probably (not definitely) clean, due to the fact that no evidence has turned up on him, despite the Panorama investigation. You just seem to be posting the occasional bit of provocative innuendo. If you think that Mo is a drugs cheat, why don't you just say so? Some actual evidence would be good.
Most of my innuendo is about Salazar actually. The last post I made about Mo was to tell RicF that the article wasn't implying he took drugs.
Mo may be clean, I don't know. But Lance Armstrong was clean too. And Jimmy Saville was never taken to court once over anything improper.
What Im not a huge fan of Mo for though is:
- winning races where he's clearly let through by a pacer to win a half marathon.
- turning up to the London marathon to specifically only run half of it.
- Lying about when exactly he knew of all these allegations. And knowing it was a lie because he could not then justify why he hadn't already got a full and detailed explanation from Salazar.
- Ugly spat with Andy Vernon
- Bailing on the race in Birmingham after people had forked out a lot of money specifically to watch him and its not like he even remained in the country, taking a 6am flight ... you know the time people take flights when they are as 'tired and exhausted' as he claimed he was.Well stop getting up at 3am to catch flights Mo that you werent scheduled to be on and you won't be so tired.
- He flew back, angry and demanding answers. Yet hasn't even had the courtesy to tell us whether he's got his answers or what they were. And no, I dont want to hear from Salazar. I want to hear from Mo whether hes got answers, and what was in those answers, that make him so confident. But he won't. He'll wait till Salazar talks, then gauge the reaction.
All Im saying is that Ive seen the mask slip sometimes and I dont think he's the all singing all dancing wonderboy that some make him out to be.
I don't know what card you mean.
I'm suggesting that resorting to innuendo and subtext is on a par with dismissing a lack of evidence, charge and smoking gun dope tests.
Anyone who indulges in such isn't worth reading
So you're not actually really engaging with the discussion at all, which has nothing to do with whether or not you think Mo Farah is a bit of a dick, but is about allegations of doping made against a coach and some athletes.
I have to say though RicF that your tale of later improvement is moderately cheering (let us reserve "inspiring" for if/when I actually do any work and benefit from it).
Currently lardy and injured and therefore spend my gym time daydreaming about a glorious future involving a GFA/BQ, both of which are a) soft standards (not as soft as my spare tyre though) and b) arguably pointless as I have run both already and could still get places in either via my club or a sports tour.
Loved Bardet's descent yesterday though. There's a strong probability that was just what met the eye!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/33096367
Seems the press has finally caught up with Mr I's work from a few days ago.
Is anyone actively investigating Salazar now (except Mr I)...or is that it?! I know UKA are investigating Mo Farah, well at least they say they are...but Salazar is out of their jurisdiction I guess.
WADA have said that USADA and the IAAF should be the ones to investigate. Not sure if either of those have announced anything yet.
Caught up with the Panorama program on the iPlayer the other night.
A well researched program, and very disappointing to hear the claims against Wells, whilst also disturbing to hear the claims against Salazar.
A few thoughts: -
1. On what Farah has said since the allegations, it seems there is an assumption that it has been well considered, personal responses. Now much as I'm fond of Mo, he's always across as naive to me, and there's no way he'd have been put up in front of the media without some pretty intense briefing on what he should and shouldn't say. If his version of events doesn't stack up with some of the facts that are already out there, that'll be a failing of those briefing him, rather than a deliberate attempt to mislead by a bloke who looked more like a rabbit caught in the headlights than a double World/Olympic champion. On his silence since, that too will be out of his hands.
2. The farce of his GNR 'win' turned me off as well, and in fact that's exactly what I did - turn off the TV. But if it was manufactured, and there's little doubt it was, how much do you really think Mo had to do with that? Do you honestly think he had any involvement in telling Kigan to let him win? Come on. His partially completed London marathon falls in a similar category.
3. I like Andy Vernon, but he has ugly spats with all and sundry.
4. Salazar might be doping his athletes, Farah may even have doped himself, but given there was no evidence or even allegations against him, the BBC's timing with this program, just a few days before Mo was due to make a rare racing appearance on these shores was ridiculous. I applaud the attempt to uncover cheating past of present, but an intense media storm was bound to blow up around it. I don't think Mo should have pulled out even so, but despite there being no specific allegations against the man himself, it should have been pretty obvious that in the short term at least, Farah was the man who was going to be put under most pressure by their program, and that ticketholders could end up missing out. The program should have been aired this week, not last.
5. It's all very f*cking depressing even so.
6. Anyone know where I can get me some of that there EPO microdosing? Seems like good sh*t.
very good post Bob
Lets be honest though , regards birmingham he would have been criticised either way. He is an elite athlete, not some random 6hr marathon runner. The whole thing had clearly blown up to a point his preperation was stressful and wouldnt suprise me if he had broken sleep for days. he was probably exhausted and racing a 1500m under those circumstance would have been under par and no point risking injury. this wasnt a championships so he was defn right imo to withdraw.
...he maybe should have pulled out a bit earlier though...not the morning of the race...
The silence from the Salazar camp is deafening.
Beebs latest. He was coaching her in '96
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/33096367