It took a tick over 24 hours before a leading Australian newspaper headlined – “Bolt image tarnished as Jamaica stripped of gold”.
What the?
Nesta Carter, the lead runner of the Jamaican 4x100m track relay team, tested drug positive some eight years after their world record gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Olympic rules clearly state that if one runner tests positive in a relay team, the entire team is stripped of their medals, medallist pins, and diplomas as if they didn’t exist.
In this case, Trinidad and Tobago will be the new gold medallist of the 2008 games, Japan the silver, and Brazil the bronze.
But to lump Bolt, the greatest track sprinter to ever strap on spikes with a cheating grub like Carter is close to defamation.
Bolt’s image is far from tarnished. In fact there’s worldwide sympathy that the legend has lost a coveted gold through no fault of his own.
And for the newspaper to only mention Bolt as being tarnished and neither Michael Frater or Asafa Powell, made the tarnished comment even worse.
Usain Bolt is in the Don Bradman, Wayne Gretsky, Muhammas Ali, Michael Jordan, and Michael Phelps category – the absolute elite of the elite.
If any one of those icons ever tested drug positive, my lifelong and deep love of sport would be devastated beyond repair.
Yet Bolt would be the first to admit that track sprinters have been among the worst cheats in sporting history.
To describe Bolt’s image as tarnished is categorically wrong, and deserving of a public apology.
Why brilliant sportsmen have to cheat to compete defies description.
The grub list is headed by Canadian Ben Johnson who copped life for testing positive after winning 1988 Seoul gold over the 100m.
Other world class track sprinters should have been hit with life bans as well, but most have been bashed by a wet lettuce leaf, so where is the deterrent?
American Justin Gatlin copped four years, while two Brits Linford Christie and Dwain Chambers only got two, as did Americans Tim Montgomery, and John Capel.
Worse still, Tyson Gay waslet off with one year, hardly worth reporting.
Those names are just scratching the surface on the grub list.
So while Usain Bolt is clean, his trophy cabinet is minus an Olympic gold that effectively stuffs up the history-making triplextriple Olympic gold.
And that stinks.
ends
Ben
Guest
What do Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, Steve Mullings, Sherone Simpson, Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell Brown have in common? a. They were on the Jamaican Track team at some time between 2008 and 2012; b. They all placed first place in the World Championships and/or the Olympic Games during that time (or thereabouts); c. They consistently produced among the fastest sprinting times for both men and women ever (in the history of the sport, and to this day) during that period (or thereabouts); or d. all of the above. What are the two key differences between Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, Steve Mullings, Sherone Simpson, Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell Brown? a. Usain Bolt has never been reported as having tested positive for a banned substance; b. Usain Bolt has produced the fastest times of all, by a massive margin, against competitors who were, almost to a fault, caught in a test or embroiled a doping scandal; c. If Usain Bolt was reported to have tested positive, millions of people across the world would have their lifelong and deep love of sport devastated beyond repair. You are a brave man to bet your lifelong and deep love of sport on Usain Bolt being clean. He is, after all, a real life human being in an incredibly competitive, historically performance enhanced industry, training in a country whose anti doping program is widely acknowledged as having been grossly deficient. I would strongly caution you against putting Usain Bolt on a pedestal upon which your lean your love of sports. Millions did it with Lance Armstrong and subsequently had their hearts broken.And then came Sky....
Magnus M. Østergaard
Roar Guru
I think it is in a way but not poorly. Is he still the best track and field Olympian based off Gold medals?
Train Without A Terminus
Guest
If only you actually knew what "daddyo" means...
G
Guest
Ben Johnson is not the only dirty sprinter... The whole field in the 88 final were doped... Carl Lewis had multiple positive tests covered up by US Athletics.
G
Guest
Jamaica has a non-existant drug testing program... I think your answers start there.
G
Guest
Drugs are used for explosive start... Spare me. Drugs are used for increased recovery therefore allowing you to train harder and get stronger/faster.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
I'm guessing it was published as written and submitted. David's never been great with the spell-checker. Or being careful with facts come to think of it...
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
Mate that is a ridiculous comment to make. If you want to say Bolt's doping then say it. Don't sit on the fence in this way and cast a wide net. If Bolt is doping then he'd better sack the bloke he's getting the drugs off. Any sports scientist will tell you that the drugs used by sprinters are used to help their explosive start. If you've watched any of Bolt's races you'll see he's usually the last out of the blocks and the slowest over the first 30 metres. Not exactly what you'd expect from a bloke who you slyly say is doping.
Jeff Dustby
Guest
David, I think you should know not to get drawn in by over the top headlines in some rag
northerner
Guest
I'm not sure whether the outrage is over the headline, or over the fact that Bolt lost his medal. If the former, fine, the headline was over the top. If the latter, what on earth does anyone expect? One member of the team cheated. If he hadn't, there's no assurance at all that the team would have won that medal. Of course they had to lose the medal.
Wayno
Guest
Truth be told if you only read headlines you would be of the belief that he was the only member of that Jamaican 4x100m relay team. Obviously he was the key ingredient, but most headlines were "Usain Bolt wins 4x100m relay" not Jamaica wins. So I suppose the current headlines are just an extension on the previous.
Pete
Guest
Sub editor did well here. Looks like this was edited blind drunk.
BennO
Guest
The problem ain't the punishment of the whole team, it's the suggestion that somehow Bolt's entire image/legacy is tarnished by the actions of a team mate.
Gavin R
Guest
Are you new to news with misleading headlines? They write what sells.
Gurudoright
Guest
I guess you could say why punish the Melbourne Storm players with taking away their premierships, just because 4 or 5 of the stars got extra payments and cheated the system. Although athletics is predominantly an individual sport, the relay is a team event. If one member of the team cheats the whole team is punished. What if 2 or 3 of the relay team cheat but Bolt hadn't, is it still fair for him to receive the gold despite half or 3/4 of his team cheating? Where do you draw the line?
Jordan c
Guest
Such outrage.
Geoff
Guest
Watch this space. Jamican sprinting is very dubious and we may well see a scandal in the future concerning Bolt. You're obviously correct that until that day comes there's no need for stories being written with headlines like that.