OT: AND Speaking of Suspicious/Spoiler for swimmers

[1happygirl]

I am disillusioned. After all my growing up and the purity of sports, lately, it has been anything but.

Starting with Pete Rose and lately Joe Pa criminality and horrible atrocities, at least I thought the Olympics was safe. I guess not. I find it horrible that the first thing I think is Peds.
Swimming is a lot of upper body, right? My folks (women) faster than the guys? Come on, really? I guess I have been sheltered a lot.
Per Yahoo:

Controversy surrounds world-record 400 IM of China's 16-year-old Ye Shiwen

LONDON – She's 16 years old, and for 50 meters on Saturday night, she swam faster than U.S. superstar Ryan Lochte. And now China's Ye Shiwen is at the center of some controversial buzz at the Aquatics Center of these Olympic Games.
Shiwen smashed the world record in the women's 400-meter IM and took gold Saturday night, torching the final 100 meters in the event and coming from behind to beat U.S. 400 IM champion Elizabeth Beisel. Shiwen shaved more than a second off Australian Stephanie Rice's world record in her win, finishing at 4:28.43. But it was her final 100 meters – the freestyle leg of the event – that raised eyebrows. Not only did Shiwen go virtually stroke-for-stroke with Lochte – who had won gold in the men's 400 IM earlier in the night – she beat Lochte in the final 50 meters.
Shiwen went 28.93 in her final 50 and 58.68 in her final 100 of her 400 IM. Lochte went 29.10 in his final 50. And the final 100 meters of the pair? Lochte went 58.65 to Shiwen's 58.68. That was such intriguing fodder that when Lochte was in the mixed zone Sunday morning, he said Shiwen had been a topic of conversation the previous night.
[ Related: Ryan Lochte barred from wearing his American flag grill on medal stand ]
"We were all talking about that at dinner last night," Lochte said. "It was pretty impressive. And it was a female. She's fast. If she was there with me, I don't know, she might have beat me."
Added U.S. men's swimming coach Gregg Troy, "Heck of a swim. You notice stuff like that... You guys can do the research. I think that's probably the fastest women's split ever."
By Sunday morning, most had noticed. The stunning final 100 meters had multiple swim insiders privately questioning how Shiwen could have beaten Lochte in the last 50 meters or managed a virtual dead heat in the last 100. Particularly in such a grueling race. The buzz was so prevalent, SwimmingWorldMagazine.com blasted those who had been speculating about Shiwen.
"It was going to happen," the magazine said in a piece Sunday morning. "It was only a matter of when, and with how much force. Not minutes after Chinese youngster Ye Shiwen captured the gold medal in the 400 individual medley on the opening night of Olympic competition, accusations started to fly. You know the type. She must be doping.
"What a bloody shame."
Shiwen wasn't among the race favorites, yet she effectively peaked in the 400 IM on the Olympic stage despite never having won the event in a long-course international event. She also had never won a medal at a world championships prior to taking gold in the 200 IM in 2011.
[ Related: Empty seats at Olympic venues prompt investigation ]
Afterward, she called her win "A big step for Chinese swimming."
Shiwen and Beisel swam the two fastest times of the year in the 400 IM during their preliminary heats earlier in the day, with Beisel going 4:31.68 and Shiwen going 4:31.73.
Beisel appeared to have the event in hand in the closing 100 meters, but Shiwen thundered her way to the win, leaving Beisel a distant second, almost three seconds behind.
Fair or not, that final 100 meters has become a hot topic of conversation in the swimming community, particularly as the Chinese have once again flexed their power in the pool. Shiwen's teammate, Sun Yang, also captured gold in the 400-meter freestyle on Saturday, going a particularly fast second 200 meters and breaking Ian Thorpe's Olympic record with a 3:40.14.
While China is not alone amongst doping scandals, the country has been embarrassed by major documented revelations in the 1980s and 1990s. The doctor heading the Chinese Olympic team during many of those scandals, Chen Zhanghao, recently defended his country's actions, calling doping "widespread" during previous decades.
"The United States, the Soviet Union and France were all [doping] so we did as well," Chen told Australia's Sydney Morning Herald. "So how can you condemn China but not the USA or Soviet Union?"

[vav]

Germany pre - reunification all over again

[wc1934]

I am with you - this is from ESPN regarding keeper Hope Solo:

"Three weeks ago, she had what is believed to be the first positive drug test in the history of the U.S. women's soccer program, receiving a warning from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

She called the doping episode an "honest mistake" and said the positive test -- for the banned substance Canrenone -- resulted from a premenstrual medication prescribed by her doctor".

Is today's testing so sophisticated/sensitive or are banned substances in more products or are the athletes willing to try anything to gain an advantage?

[wc1934]

Urban legend?


"In 1995 a Chicago physician, Bob Goldman, asked 198 Olympic-level U.S. athletes whether they would be willing to take a banned substance if they were guaranteed to win and not get caught; 195 said yes. More than half said they would take the drug if it would enable them to win every competition for five years but then kill them".

[Fixed]

I hear you and Iam not arguing but swimming is one sport where the difference in times are the smallest between men and women ,I swam briefly at u.s.f. And the woman from u.f. Could beat us easiely
Cheers

[merlincustom1]

As usual, Fixed with good perspective

[Jason E]

Are there currently ANY Olympic swimming events where the Woman's WR is faster than the Men's? Aside from this?

I hear what you are saying, Fixed, but Olympic competition is tip-of-the-sword type times. I do not doubt the 19XX-XX USF Men's swim team [wink] but this is a bit much!

Were y'all slow cause you were looking at the girls?

[Fixed]

Swimming is a lifetime sport it is the one exercise I still try to do a little daily
It is a great sport for energetic young people

[krhea]

Originally Posted by Fixed

I hear you and Iam not arguing but swimming is one sport where the difference in times are the smallest between men and women ,I swam briefly at u.s.f. And the woman from u.f. Could beat us easiely
Cheers

In elite ultra running women are "step for step" with men and have been for quite some time including many female winners/second places overall in big ultra races.


KRhea

[melonyogloo]

Originally Posted by Jason E

Are there currently ANY Olympic swimming events where the Woman's WR is faster than the Men's? Aside from this?

I hear what you are saying, Fixed, but Olympic competition is tip-of-the-sword type times. I do not doubt the 19XX-XX USF Men's swim team [wink] but this is a bit much!

Were y'all slow cause you were looking at the girls?

The new record set by Shiwen is 25 secs slower than Michael Phelps'. Otoh, Lochte's freestyle is only good for 5th among all the men in the final. He even said he started too fast with the butterfly.

[William]

Maybe.....?



Or.... is that an EMILY in your suit or are you just happy to see me?
http://www.gizmag.com/emily-motorize...ue-buoy/17297/





William

[CDM]

the blind archer? I heard he is from Korea?

[bikinchris]

Originally Posted by wc1934

Urban legend?


"In 1995 a Chicago physician, Bob Goldman, asked 198 Olympic-level U.S. athletes whether they would be willing to take a banned substance if they were guaranteed to win and not get caught; 195 said yes. More than half said they would take the drug if it would enable them to win every competition for five years but then kill them".

That's not an urban legend:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/0...ght-kill-them/

[tuxbailey]

Yay, another teenager won a swimming gold medal.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/us-teen...5226--oly.html

[Fixed]

My favorite swimmer
Federica Pellegrini
Cheers