Usain Bolt of Jamaica set the world record in the 100 meters on Saturday and became the World's Fastest Man. As mentioned in an earlier post, WFM is code for roid head. Knowing now what we know about former WFM's, speculation is already swirling around Bolt.
Bolt, like many WFM before him, has denied taking PED's and has not failed a drug test. Skeptics are out on front on this one because Bolt has only run the 100 five times professionally, yet in that span recorded two of the three fastest times ever. Either he truly is the fastest man and will continue to get better, or he is working with new undetectable PED's.
Even with his lack of experience in the 100, Bolt is an accomplished sprinter. He has focused in the past in the 200 meters and was the first junior sprinter to break 20 seconds. At the 2007 world championships, Bolt finished second to Tyson Gay. Ironically enough, Gay, the 2007 world champion in the 100, finished second to Bolt on Saturday with a time of 9.85.
Mary Wittenberg, chief executive of NY Road Runners and race director for the NYC Marathon said, "I think we can believe these performances more than ever before. I think there's a higher level of fear among agents, coaches and athletes than ever before, and I think that is serving us well."
I disagree with Mrs. Wittenberg. Why do athletes use PED's? Because they work. The amount of money involved in becoming the WFM, endorsement deals, gold medals has become so big that the temptation to dope is overwhelming. Does Marion Jones regret cheating? No, she and Tim Montgomery regret getting caught lying to the feds.
When an athlete sees their former heroes shamed and admit to doping, it will only lead them to choose to dope. This naivete to think the controls and fear we have in place are sufficient has led track and field to become a fringe sport where the majority of people who follow it, assume some, if not most, athletes are doping of some kind.
Bolt's coach, Glen Mills, cited Bolt's conscience and the fact that Bolt does not even take vitamin C as reasons why his client is clean. Gay has voluntarily entered into a program where he is being tested regularly to diffuse some of the skepticism of his performance. Gay admited the sport has a credibility issue when he said, "People will have suspicions probably as long as track and field is going on."
Not taking vitamin C does not preclude you from taking an undetectable steroid and being tested regularly could be seen as a pr stunt if Gay is on an undetectable steroid. The cheaters are usually always ahead of the enforcers, but hopefully there are a few clean athletes who mean what they say and years from now don't have the mea culpa in front of the courthouse, but don't hold your breath.
Showing posts with label World's Fastest Man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World's Fastest Man. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Track & Field Trial Ready to Commence; Expect More Names
Trevor Graham trained a dozen athletes that made it to the Olympics in 2000, when his Sprint Capitol USA training camp in Raleigh, N.C., dominated track and field. The most famous client, Marion Jones, won five medals. In the following years, two of Graham’s most successful athletes, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin, went on to become the World's Fastest Man by setting world records in the 100 meters.
All of those sprinters mentioned and at least seven other Graham clients admitted to using PED's.
Those glory days are long gone as Graham now faces possible jail time on three felony counts of lying to a federal agent. His trial was scheduled to begin today in United States District Court in San Francisco. Several elite athletes are expected to testify against him. It was Graham who also sent the syringe of the Clear to the anti-doping authorities that blew the whistle on BALCO and started this federal investigation.
The charges allege Graham lied about his connections with a confessed drug adviser and distributor, who will be the star witness for the prosecution. I'm sure Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery are looking forward to getting a temporary release from prison in order to testify in this case.
The witness, Angel Guillermo Heredia, 33, has been assisting in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative investigation since 2005, but has no formal cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors and faces the possibility of being charged later.
“When you tell the truth, there’s not anything to be worried about,” Heredia said in a telephone interview Friday. “We’ll see what’s going to happen."
The counts stem from a 2004 interview where Graham was lying. The lies include: denying meeting Heredia in person, talking to him on the telephone after 1997, or distributing drugs and referring athletes to Heredia for drugs. Graham was only charged for lying to a federal agent; there were no drug related offenses.
As part of the evidence, prosecutors have a photograph of Graham and Heredia together, phone records and seven elite athletes who are expected to testify that Graham gave them drugs or sent them to Heredia for drugs.
Graham told The Washington Post last month that his trial would “embarrass the United States, and it’s going to embarrass these athletes” on the eve of another Olympics.
Heredia has already said his drugs helped Maurice Greene and two female sprinters win medals at the 2004 Olympics. He previously showed The New York Times a $10,000 bank transaction from Greene, who has denied the charges and remains an ambassador for track’s international governing body. The other two sprinters have not been publicly identified.
This does not look good for Trevor Graham. It's ironic that the man who brought down BALCO, and in the process started cleaning up sports (to a certain extent) has a good chance of doing time. Photo shop is not a viable defense to combat the picture, but at least the public will find out more track stars were really cheaters as the trial gets under way.
All of those sprinters mentioned and at least seven other Graham clients admitted to using PED's.
Those glory days are long gone as Graham now faces possible jail time on three felony counts of lying to a federal agent. His trial was scheduled to begin today in United States District Court in San Francisco. Several elite athletes are expected to testify against him. It was Graham who also sent the syringe of the Clear to the anti-doping authorities that blew the whistle on BALCO and started this federal investigation.
The charges allege Graham lied about his connections with a confessed drug adviser and distributor, who will be the star witness for the prosecution. I'm sure Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery are looking forward to getting a temporary release from prison in order to testify in this case.
The witness, Angel Guillermo Heredia, 33, has been assisting in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative investigation since 2005, but has no formal cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors and faces the possibility of being charged later.
“When you tell the truth, there’s not anything to be worried about,” Heredia said in a telephone interview Friday. “We’ll see what’s going to happen."
The counts stem from a 2004 interview where Graham was lying. The lies include: denying meeting Heredia in person, talking to him on the telephone after 1997, or distributing drugs and referring athletes to Heredia for drugs. Graham was only charged for lying to a federal agent; there were no drug related offenses.
As part of the evidence, prosecutors have a photograph of Graham and Heredia together, phone records and seven elite athletes who are expected to testify that Graham gave them drugs or sent them to Heredia for drugs.
Graham told The Washington Post last month that his trial would “embarrass the United States, and it’s going to embarrass these athletes” on the eve of another Olympics.
Heredia has already said his drugs helped Maurice Greene and two female sprinters win medals at the 2004 Olympics. He previously showed The New York Times a $10,000 bank transaction from Greene, who has denied the charges and remains an ambassador for track’s international governing body. The other two sprinters have not been publicly identified.
This does not look good for Trevor Graham. It's ironic that the man who brought down BALCO, and in the process started cleaning up sports (to a certain extent) has a good chance of doing time. Photo shop is not a viable defense to combat the picture, but at least the public will find out more track stars were really cheaters as the trial gets under way.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
WFM Sentenced to 4 Years for Check Fraud...Not Looking Good for Selling H
A former World's Fastest Man (WFM) has slowed considerably over the years and will be slowing even more after recent events. Tim Montgomery, who set the world record in the 100 meters in 2002 with a time of 9.78 seconds now finds himself sharing a room with pedophiles and murderers. He's currently residing in a Virginia jail.
All of his performances after March 31, 2001, including the world record performance, were wiped from the books, and he was banned from track for two years, for doping linked to the investigation of BALCO. Even though Montgomery never tested positive for drugs, he decided to retire after the ban was imposed.
And on Friday, a federal judge sentenced the former track star to nearly four years in prison for dealing in bad checks. This was the same scheme that currently has Marion Jones serving time and ultimately led her to admit to using PED's.
"The gold medal, all those people cheering, that was part of another world," he said. "In jail, my status is gone."
I would hope your status is gone in jail. What, were you expecting raucous applause when you arrived first in line for breakfast? Your status could be gone for much longer.
Judge Kenneth Karas also warned Montgomery, 33, that the evidence against him "does not appear to be flimsy" in the ongoing case in Virginia, where he is accused of selling heroin. A conviction there would carry a minimum mandatory five-year sentence.
Montgomery told the judge he had let other people run his life, right down to deciding what to eat for breakfast. And his lawyer, Timothy Heaphy, said Montgomery had been led astray by, among others, track superstar Marion Jones.
The check case also ensnared Montgomery's former coach, gold medalist Steve Riddick, and agent, Charles Wells. Both pleaded guilty. All told, this group was planning on depositing $5 million worth of false checks.
But the judge said others were not to blame in the check case.
"`You should commit bank fraud' is not the same as `You should eat Wheaties,"' Karas said. "There is not a single shred of evidence here that this was anyone else's fault."
I agree with the judge on this one here. Whenever it hits the fan, the first thing most people do is look for someone to point the finger at. Tim is pointing the finger at everyone in his circle. Everyone loved you when you were hopped up on roids breaking records and becoming the WFM, but now you need to face the fact that no one put the proverbial gun to your head and made you pass bogus checks or sell $9,000 of heroin. At some point Tim, you have to take responsibility for your actions, all of them.
All of his performances after March 31, 2001, including the world record performance, were wiped from the books, and he was banned from track for two years, for doping linked to the investigation of BALCO. Even though Montgomery never tested positive for drugs, he decided to retire after the ban was imposed.
And on Friday, a federal judge sentenced the former track star to nearly four years in prison for dealing in bad checks. This was the same scheme that currently has Marion Jones serving time and ultimately led her to admit to using PED's.
"The gold medal, all those people cheering, that was part of another world," he said. "In jail, my status is gone."
I would hope your status is gone in jail. What, were you expecting raucous applause when you arrived first in line for breakfast? Your status could be gone for much longer.
Judge Kenneth Karas also warned Montgomery, 33, that the evidence against him "does not appear to be flimsy" in the ongoing case in Virginia, where he is accused of selling heroin. A conviction there would carry a minimum mandatory five-year sentence.
Montgomery told the judge he had let other people run his life, right down to deciding what to eat for breakfast. And his lawyer, Timothy Heaphy, said Montgomery had been led astray by, among others, track superstar Marion Jones.
The check case also ensnared Montgomery's former coach, gold medalist Steve Riddick, and agent, Charles Wells. Both pleaded guilty. All told, this group was planning on depositing $5 million worth of false checks.
But the judge said others were not to blame in the check case.
"`You should commit bank fraud' is not the same as `You should eat Wheaties,"' Karas said. "There is not a single shred of evidence here that this was anyone else's fault."
I agree with the judge on this one here. Whenever it hits the fan, the first thing most people do is look for someone to point the finger at. Tim is pointing the finger at everyone in his circle. Everyone loved you when you were hopped up on roids breaking records and becoming the WFM, but now you need to face the fact that no one put the proverbial gun to your head and made you pass bogus checks or sell $9,000 of heroin. At some point Tim, you have to take responsibility for your actions, all of them.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Former WFM Now Dealing H
No sooner than I shed some light on what The World's Fastest Man is code for, we have a former WFM in the news...for all the wrong reasons.
Tim Montgomery was arrested Wednesday, April 30th, accused of dealing more than 100 grams of heroin in Virginia over the past year. The timing could not be any worse for the sprinter. He is soon to be sentenced in a scheme to cash millions of dollars in stolen or forged checks. Montgomery’s former companion, Marion Jones, is already in the hole serving a six-month prison term for lying to investigators about her role in the check scam and using performance-enhancing drugs.
Tim, I doubt you'll be able to outrun the feds on this one. I don't get what you were you were trying to accomplish by writing bogus checks with Marion: relive the thrill of pulling a fast one on an unsuspecting public similar to what you and Marion accomplished when you were peaking on PED's? But Tim, selling H is too low for a disgraced former WFM to fall. Ben Johnson thinks you've given all the WFM a black eye and is willing to permanently ban you from the club.
Tim Montgomery was arrested Wednesday, April 30th, accused of dealing more than 100 grams of heroin in Virginia over the past year. The timing could not be any worse for the sprinter. He is soon to be sentenced in a scheme to cash millions of dollars in stolen or forged checks. Montgomery’s former companion, Marion Jones, is already in the hole serving a six-month prison term for lying to investigators about her role in the check scam and using performance-enhancing drugs.
Tim, I doubt you'll be able to outrun the feds on this one. I don't get what you were you were trying to accomplish by writing bogus checks with Marion: relive the thrill of pulling a fast one on an unsuspecting public similar to what you and Marion accomplished when you were peaking on PED's? But Tim, selling H is too low for a disgraced former WFM to fall. Ben Johnson thinks you've given all the WFM a black eye and is willing to permanently ban you from the club.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
World's Fastest Man - Code For...
With the Olympics approaching, I'm going to let the novice and casual track fan in on a secret. The title, World's Fastest Man, is code for roid head. Do not take the bait and think for one second that you are seeing a natural performer becoming the fastest human. He's hopped up on PED's.
According to this past Sunday's NYT, Maurice Green, a former WFM, wired $10K to a relative of Angel Guillermo Heredia, the lead cooperating witness against Trevor Graham. Mr. Heredia also had two sets of blood test lab reports with Greene's name on it. It's ironic that Mr. Graham was the one who blew the doors off Balco by sending a syringe with a designer steroid to the feds now finds himself facing jail time for lying to federal officers.
Maurice, this does not look good. Neither does the fact that you are a goodwill ambassador for the sport of track and field. Do us all a favor and step down immediately. Until we acknowledge that the WFM really represents who is working with the best scientist, then I'm not going to pay any attention to these shenanigans.
Which country has the best chemist, who created the better, undetectable PED's leads to the World's Fastest Man, nothing else.
According to this past Sunday's NYT, Maurice Green, a former WFM, wired $10K to a relative of Angel Guillermo Heredia, the lead cooperating witness against Trevor Graham. Mr. Heredia also had two sets of blood test lab reports with Greene's name on it. It's ironic that Mr. Graham was the one who blew the doors off Balco by sending a syringe with a designer steroid to the feds now finds himself facing jail time for lying to federal officers.
Maurice, this does not look good. Neither does the fact that you are a goodwill ambassador for the sport of track and field. Do us all a favor and step down immediately. Until we acknowledge that the WFM really represents who is working with the best scientist, then I'm not going to pay any attention to these shenanigans.
Which country has the best chemist, who created the better, undetectable PED's leads to the World's Fastest Man, nothing else.
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