Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2000 22:47:06 -0700
From: "malmo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: RE: t-and-f: flo-jo
Ahhh. You guys just don't give up with the Flo-Jo drug conspiracy
theories,
do you?
What follows is a short abstract of her career, which shows, without a
doubt, with the benefit of hard work, determination and courage -
ANYTHING
can happen.
***********************
Well, the one thing for certain is that Flo Jo's career presents
absolutely no support for the silly thesis that
"with the benefit of hard work, determination and courage - ANYTHING can
happen."
Sprinters, especially 100 meter sprinters, are BORN and not made --
unless drugs are involved. If you have any doubt of this, I recommend
the current cover story of the September Scientific American on "Genes
and Muscles" by Bengt Saltin of the Copenhagen Muscle Research Institute
(formerly of the Karolinska Institute). The difference between top
sprinters is almost certainly entirely genetic as he makes clear.
That makes Flo Jo's career even more suspect. The evidence you present
show's a startling improvement in her 100 meter time from 1987 [10.96]to
1988 [10.49] -- that's almost half a second -- a four percent
improvement which is for all intent and purposes FAR beyond the
possibility of what can be done through technical improvement through
training or nutrition.
Intriguingly, she went from 22.46 in the 200 meters to 21.96 late in
1987, well after it was suspected she had started her drug regimen, to
21.34. That's an improvement of 1:12 or more than 5 percent.
For someone in the midpoint of their career, when the efficiency of fast
twitch muscles are actually on the decline, such improvements are
literally IMPOSSIBLE without artificial means.
The stark reality is that until 1987, Joyner had been a solid but not a
brilliant sprinter. Her best time over 100 meters did not rank in the
top forty marks of all time and her previous best at 200 was not in the
all-time top twenty. Then she turned up in Seoul with a new sleek,
muscular physique and promptly ran times that would have left some male
runners in the dust.
Griffith-Joyner angrily dismissed the allegations that she used drugs
and volunteered to take a drug test "any?time, anywhere," but it turned
out to be an empty promise. There would be no more races, no more tests.
Months later, at the peak of her performances, she abruptly retired. The
story got more complicated the following year when Darrell Robinson, a
former national quarter-mile champion, claimed that shortly before the
Seoul Games, Griffith Joyner had paid him $2,000 for 10 cubic
centimeters of human growth hormone, which would not have been picked up
in any drug test. She dismissed Robinson as a "crazy, lying lunatic,"
but she never raced again.
To raise issues about the reliability of Flo Jo's career is no more
pernicious than raising questions about the reliability of East German
athlete's times during the 70s and 80s. Many of those athletes have
denied taking drug and they are scoffed at. Why should their denials be
given less weight or Flo Jo's denials be given more weight. Frankly, her
career and performances are suspect to even the most reasonable outside
observer.
For all intents and purposes, these was an era of heavy drug use by
female athletes in running, field events, swimming and other areas. Like
or not, a cloud hovers over all because of this.
****************************
Included are a records of sprinters from 1975-1996 for you Suh-tistikal
types to analyze. Upon analysis, you too will find that Flo-Jo's
breakthrough in 1988 was both predictable and within the norms of
world-class sprinting.
You malcontents should just stop your speculation, because Flo-Jo would
NEVER associate with unsavory types from the underbelly of the sports
world.
In the words of John Gotti, "You can't prove nuttin'"
Joyner had been a solid but not a brilliant sprinter. Her best time over
100 meters did not rank in the top forty marks of all time and her
previous best at 200 was not in the all-time top twenty. Then she turned
up in Seoul with a new sleek, muscular physique and promptly ran times
that would have left Jesse Owens in the dust. Keenly aware of the
limitations of the human body, athletes at Olympic Village began
speculating on her redefined body and extraordinary performances.
Griffith-Joyner angrily dismissed the allegations and volunteered to
take a drug test "any?time, anywhere," but it turned out to be an empty
promise. There would be no more races, no more tests. Months later, at
the peak of her abilities, she abruptly retired. The story got more
complicated the following year when Darrell Robinson, a former national
quarter-mile champion, claimed that shortly before the Seoul Games,
Griffith Joyner had paid him $2,000 for 10 cubic centimeters of human
growth hormone, which would not have been picked up in any drug test.
She dismissed Robinson as a "crazy, lying lunatic," but she never raced
again.
Her career
100 m 200m
1982 11.12[8] 22.39[10]
1983 11.06[6] 22.23[5]
1984 10.99[3] 22.04[5]
1985 11.00[6] 22.46[7]
1986 unranked unranked
1987 10.96[6] 21.96[2]
1988 10.49[1] 21.34[1]
************
Jon Entine
RuffRun
6178 Grey Rock Rd.
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
(818) 991-9803 :: [fax] 991-9804
http://www.jonentine.com
For background on Jon, reviews and commentaries on his book, TABOO: WHY
BLACK ATHLETES DOMINATE SPORTS AND WHY WE ARE AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT IT,
and background on his writings on business ethics and brand marketing,
click through to his web page at: www.jonentine.com.
