Marion Jones finally fesses up!

giddyup

Nothing too suprising in this piece of news but it's another sad day for Athletics. I used to love watching athletics - it was probably the number one thing I watched as a kid, the Bislett games, Ed Moses, Daley Thompson, Tom McKean, Linford winning his first gold in Stuttgart (I even remember the BBC using a Bruce Hornsby song as the music for their coverage that year!). Then that Canadian went and broke my heart. It's been all downhill from there for me. I never watch athletics on the box now.

Running full tilt around a track has got to be one of the purest forms of physical endeavour and the few have ruined it for the many (or is it the many for the few - I hope not).

thirtyfoot

giddyup wrote:

but it's another sad day for Athletics.

Wouldn't say that, she has been well gone and forgotten. Its a new generation now and the most recent worlds were the most tested and yet there were no positive results. Its all about Felix, Gay, Powell, Saladino, Bekele and the re-emergence of the Kenyan men and women. I haven't been more optimistic about the sport in years.

giddyup wrote:

Tom McKean,

Interesting lad Tom and interesting guy to have as a major athletic memory . Years ago when only a young fellow our own 800m record holder came up against Tom at an indoor meet in Scotland I think. Mckean inquired as to "who are you, and what the hell are you doing here" in an attempt to unsettle the young Irishman to which the classic response was something like "I'm here to sit on your shoulder and when the time is right outkick you on the home straight". Great answer. McKean still beat him but still a great answer.

giddyup

There's nothing sad about seeing the back of Marion Jones - what's sad is that a five medal winner from an Olympic games is finally confirming what we all suspected. That's surely a sad day for athletics.

As for Tom McKean - he may not have been very accomplished but I liked the way he did his business. He's just one of the characters I remember vividly. We're all entitled to our memories I believe.

As for the drugs PR - fair enough if you believe it's all above board. I wouldn't share your optimisim for a second.

thirtyfoot

giddyup wrote:

There's nothing sad about seeing the back of Marion Jones - what's sad is that a five medal winner from an Olympic games is finally confirming what we all suspected. That's surely a sad day for athletics.

Great day, rid of her finally, the family can move on with the new kids on the block. You should switch back on and watch Allyson Felix run. It would restore some of your faith, pure poetry in motion and built like a twig, a very flexible and strong twig at that.

giddyup wrote:

As for Tom McKean - he may not have been very accomplished but I liked the way he did his business.

He was very accomplished running 1:43 I think but it was the way he went about his business that I didn't like, seemed arrogant, over cocky without having the justification of say a Cram or Coe.

Benedict XVI

Tingle wrote:

Wouldn't say that, she has been well gone and forgotten. Its a new generation now and the most recent worlds were the most tested and yet there were no positive results.

that's cos they are using stuff that tests for have yet to be developed.

Linford

As far as I can remember Ben Johnson is the only athlete to lose medals for admitting to taking drugs. He was stripped of his Olympic medal and world record in 1988 for testing positive but only lost his 1987 medal/wr after he admitted to dopping at the Dubin enquiry, I think he was stripped of a lot of other records/medals also.

Seeing as Marion Jones is admitting to taking drugs in the build up to the 2000 games does this mean that she will be stripped of her gold medals from Sydney? Could be a little awkward for the IOC/IAAF handing the 100m gold medal to Ekaterina Thanou!!!

Dodge

Linford wrote:

As far as I can remember Ben Johnson is the only athlete to lose medals for admitting to taking drugs. He was stripped of his Olympic medal and world record in 1988 for testing positive but only lost his 1987 medal/wr after he admitted to dopping at the Dubin enquiry, I think he was stripped of a lot of other records/medals also.

Seeing as Marion Jones is admitting to taking drugs in the build up to the 2000 games does this mean that she will be stripped of her gold medals from Sydney? Could be a little awkward for the IOC/IAAF handing the 100m gold medal to Ekaterina Thanou!!!

LOL @ thanou.

Weren't the US 4x400 relay stripped of gold medals?

thirtyfoot

Dodge wrote:

LOL @ thanou.

Weren't the US 4x400 relay stripped of gold medals?

And the Brits with Chambers too I think.

thirtyfoot

Benedict XVI wrote:

that's cos they are using stuff that tests for have yet to be developed.

Classic armchair punditry. Considering where you are based you more than anyone should have blind faith in the system:)

DaveH

I heard from someone I trust that the Kenyains were all out to pin the Ethopians during the world CC. Hence the Ethopian team didnt finish. Most people say it was very hot for the World CC hence the drop outs, but the Ethopians are well used to that heat, also its life or death stuff for them to beat Kenya.
I always thought something strange happened there! It could have been a shout from the side to drop out.

Common Sense

DaveH wrote:

I heard from someone I trust that the Kenyains were all out to pin the Ethopians during the world CC. Hence the Ethopian team didnt finish. Most people say it was very hot for the World CC hence the drop outs, but the Ethopians are well used to that heat, also its life or death stuff for them to beat Kenya.
I always thought something strange happened there! It could have been a shout from the side to drop out.

I'm sorry to say that's rubbish, Dave. Athletes can be tested irrespective of whether they drop out. And are tested in the days leading up to competition e.g. Thanou and Kenteris 3 days before the opening of the olympic games in Athens. Your trusted friend is selling you a pup on this one. Ethiopians have been tested as constantly as anyone else before, during and after all major competitions.

DaveH

I know the rules common sense. I know how strict drug testing is. However I thought at the time that was very strange that Ethopia didnt manage to finish a team. Did no one else not find something a bit fishy about that?

Pherekydes

DaveH wrote:

I know the rules common sense. I know how strict drug testing is. However I thought at the time that was very strange that Ethopia didnt manage to finish a team. Did no one else not find something a bit fishy about that?

Ethiopia won the women's team race. Kenya and several other countries had non-finishers. An Eritrean won the senior men's race. Ethiopia had 5 finishers in the men's senior race. They cut it a bit fine if they were dodging the testers.

But what has all this to do with Marion Jones, Dave?

slemons

flo jo and her impossible record are the root of marion jones woes.
she'll probably get jail now for perjury. sad day.

thirtyfoot

The legend that is Pauline Davis should now get her gold medal.

http://www.thenassauguardian.com/sports/290016275681363.php

"When I line up against someone and I know that they were out there training hard, waking up 4 o'clock in the morning like I did back in the day I can respect that. At the end of the race, win or loose I feel good because I know that I did it the right way and had to work hard. Anything you achieve in life is not going to be easy," noted Davis-Thompson.

Davis-Thompson further noted that the Bahamian youth should use the Jones' situation as an example that "microwavable success" or "cheaters never prosper".

"The children of today want everything quickly - I call them the 'microwave generation'. There is a message here for young people that you have to work hard. The children who decide to take the 'microwave path' or the quick and easy route are prone to things like what happened to Ms. Jones. Before the problem gets better it will get worse. They don't understand that when you want something you have to work hard for it. No one is going to give it to you on a silver platter," underlined Davis-Thompson.

Davis-Thompson further noted that the second lesson to be learnt is to finish off strong.

"If you remember that 200-meter race, when I crossed the line I did not even know that I got a silver. I saw Marion up there and the other athletes there with her, so I figured that I did not medal. When you look back at the race I realized that she really spanked us and gave us a real beat down," added Davis-Thompson

patmac

Ah Marion, sounded a lot like Kermit the Frog in her speech(thanks to Newstalk for that one), I love these athletes who thank God when they win and pray for forgiveness when they finally admit after years of blatant lying that they cheated.
I like the OP used to love the athletics but even though I still watch it, there is always that question in the back of my mind what's he/she on?
I remember years ago a survey being done in an American college that if someone said I will give you a drug that will give you a gold medal but you will die before you are 40 would you take it? and over 50% said yes, seems like Flo Jo was one of those.
The Jones saga might help athletics but as someone who ran at a reasonably high level (Westmeath U-17 Comm Games Marathon Champion), it will take a long time for me and many others to believe athletics is clean. Remember her?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarmila_Kratochv%C3%ADlov%C3%A1

thirtyfoot

patmac wrote:

The Jones saga might help athletics but as someone who ran at a reasonably high level (Westmeath U-17 Comm Games Marathon Champion), it will take a long time for me and many others to believe athletics is clean. Remember her?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarmila_Kratochv%C3%ADlov%C3%A1

What has 'Crotch'volova got to do with the sport currently? Looking forward there is lots to be optimistic about, obviously looking back at some he-man from the 80's you'd be depressed. If you want drugs in sport you can go right back to the 1800's, even to the original Greek had PEDs!

Unfortunately it will take a long time for the public to believe again but thats because the media prefer the old drug story than the current great performances. Cycling suffers similarly, even more so than athletics. Within the active athletics world I would say there is optimism while within the casual armchair fan there is cynicism mainly due to the media coverage, its getting it across to the armchair fan that things are getting better is the big task for the sport.

Cheating happens in all sports. To me a player diving in the box and trying to get another player sent-off in say a World Cup or Champions league final is equivalent to drug taking in cycling, swimming or track. These days I struggle to watch most football games because of the petty diving and gamesmanship. Football authorities don't seem to want to do anything about this (except maybe the SFA who plan a pilot run in Jan) at least the IAAF are tackling their problem head on.

Look forward not back.

ecksor

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