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Bolt Gains From Usa Drug Scandal As Nigerians Flop
Vanguard (Lagos)
OPINION
23 August 2008
Posted to the web 25 August 2008
By Patrick Omorodion
Before Jamaican speedster, there were three super athletes to have won the most prized athletics medals, the 100m and 200m gold medals in one single Olympics.
They are Jesse Owens, United States in 1936 in Berlin, Valery Borzov, from the then Soviet Union at the Munich Olympics in 1972 and then Carl Lewis from the United States at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
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Owens feat at the Berlins Games was spectacular more especially being a Blackman, as he was snubbed by then maximum ruler of Germany, Adolf Hitler who was reported to have refused to shake hands with him.
It took an interval of 36 years before another great athlete, Borzor could repeat Owens feat, again on another German soil, Munich. Borzor's feat was however eclipsed by the terrorists attack on Israeli athletes camp. Some members of the Israeli contingent lost their lives in an attempt to rescue them from the terrorists.
Ironically the Munich Olympic was the same Olympics where Nigeria first recorded her name on the medals table through the boxing feat of Nojeem Maiyegun who won bronze.
After Borzor emerged another American, Lewis after 12 years who won the double sprints on home soil when the US hosted in Los Angeles. He did not stop at that as he went ahead to add the long jump and the 4x100m relay gold to his haul.
Since the Lewis feat in 1984, no other double emerged until this year when Bolt took all by surprise to do the unimaginable. May e Ben Johnson could have done the double in Seoul in 1988 but he was caught in a drug web after posting an astonishing time of 9.84 secs and subsequently stripped of the medal for Carl Lewis to be decorated again like in Los Angeles.
It was the turn of Briton, Linford Christie to win the 100m at the Barcelona Games in 1992 but he could not add the 200m. He was also caught in the drug web a few years later, to suggests that most of the top athletes spiced their system with performance enhancing drugs.
What his compatriot, Johnson could not get in 1988, Donovan Bailey got by beating the Americans in their backyard in 1996 at the Atlanta Games. But again he could not perform the double like Owens, Borzov and Lewis.
No one, not even the Jamaicans believed it could happen this year with their former jewel, Asafa Powell who was just hoping to get the 100m gold ahead of United States' Tyson Gay. But unknown to Powell and the entire athletics world, an unknown 100m attempter, Bolt was lurking at the corner.
Bolt was never a 100m specialist. He reportedly just got into it during the Jamaican trials to sharpen his finishing power in the 200m and got the records smashed in the process. He then stuck to it and added it to his specialties and had looked up to the double ever since that day.
After clinching the 100m gold in a new world record time of 9.69 secs, he hungered for the double but not with a world record in the 200m in mind. Even his admirer and record holder in the 200m, America's Michael Johnson not express any fear his record would be thrown into the trash bin.
To the astonishment of the whole world Bolt dashed through the finish line of the Men's 200m to complete a rare sprint double by winning the Men's 200m, days after having won the Men's 100m at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
He set a new world record of 19.30 seconds in the Men's 200m final to take the gold medal. His elegant and relaxed performance captivated the world of Athletics.
Shawn Crawford of the United States took the silver medal with a time of 19.96 seconds, striding in just ahead of bronze medalist Walter Dix at 19.98s.
Bolt thus became the first man to win the 100m and 200m in the same Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984. But his was with style as he remains the greatest of the double champions because he did it with world records in both events.
The youthful and exuberant champion could barely contain his joy, "I never expected this. I knew the track was a fast track but I didn't think this was possible."
Bolt reveled in his spirited celebrations, laughing and dancing and posing for the world while draped in his national colours.
"I'm shocked, I am still shocked. I have been aspiring to the world record for so long."
This Jamaican sprint giant entered into the final of the Men's 200m as favorite after leaving the world in awe with his phenomenal 9.69s world record triumph in the Men's 100m on August 16.
Predominantly renowned for his 200m talent, Bolt made headlines earlier this year when he stormed onto the 100m scene, clocking 9.72s to break the world record in New York in May.
Bolt has now run the four fastest 200m times in the world this year, including 19.67s (Athens), 19.76s (London) and 19.83s (Ostrava). His winning run of 19.67s at the Athens Grand Prix in July was the fifth-fastest ever.
Bolt could be said to be a beneficiary of the dope scandal that hit the United States and slowed them done. Other athletes who depended on their raw strength and energy to run expectedly took over but not Nigerian athletes who busied themselves running in the circuits across the world to make ends meet.
Since there was no guarantee of grant from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the National Sports Commission (NSC) or the government specifically, the athletes, Olusoji Fasuba, Nigeria's major hope for a medal before now, had no choice but participate in meets around the globe.
At the World Indoor Championship where most of the big names in athletics stayed away from to perfect their strategies for the big event, the summer Olympic Games, Fasuba became the world champion and the AFN, wanting to add it to their achievements record, celebrated on end.
Today, instead of the country benefitting from the flop of the dope inspired Americans, her athletes have again fallen victim to another setback, this time ill-preparation occasioned by lack of money or late release of money by the authorities.
This last point, two men who have tasted it all in the AFN, Dan Ngerem and Alhaji AbdulKarim Amu would not want to hear about. According to them, officials of the AFN knew long time back that they were going to participate in the Olympics and should have been proactive enough to source for funds from other sources while awaiting that from the government.
Vanguard (Lagos)
OPINION
23 August 2008
Posted to the web 25 August 2008
By Patrick Omorodion
Before Jamaican speedster, there were three super athletes to have won the most prized athletics medals, the 100m and 200m gold medals in one single Olympics.
They are Jesse Owens, United States in 1936 in Berlin, Valery Borzov, from the then Soviet Union at the Munich Olympics in 1972 and then Carl Lewis from the United States at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
GA_googleFillSlot("AllAfrica_Other_Inset");
Owens feat at the Berlins Games was spectacular more especially being a Blackman, as he was snubbed by then maximum ruler of Germany, Adolf Hitler who was reported to have refused to shake hands with him.
It took an interval of 36 years before another great athlete, Borzor could repeat Owens feat, again on another German soil, Munich. Borzor's feat was however eclipsed by the terrorists attack on Israeli athletes camp. Some members of the Israeli contingent lost their lives in an attempt to rescue them from the terrorists.
Ironically the Munich Olympic was the same Olympics where Nigeria first recorded her name on the medals table through the boxing feat of Nojeem Maiyegun who won bronze.
After Borzor emerged another American, Lewis after 12 years who won the double sprints on home soil when the US hosted in Los Angeles. He did not stop at that as he went ahead to add the long jump and the 4x100m relay gold to his haul.
Since the Lewis feat in 1984, no other double emerged until this year when Bolt took all by surprise to do the unimaginable. May e Ben Johnson could have done the double in Seoul in 1988 but he was caught in a drug web after posting an astonishing time of 9.84 secs and subsequently stripped of the medal for Carl Lewis to be decorated again like in Los Angeles.
It was the turn of Briton, Linford Christie to win the 100m at the Barcelona Games in 1992 but he could not add the 200m. He was also caught in the drug web a few years later, to suggests that most of the top athletes spiced their system with performance enhancing drugs.
What his compatriot, Johnson could not get in 1988, Donovan Bailey got by beating the Americans in their backyard in 1996 at the Atlanta Games. But again he could not perform the double like Owens, Borzov and Lewis.
No one, not even the Jamaicans believed it could happen this year with their former jewel, Asafa Powell who was just hoping to get the 100m gold ahead of United States' Tyson Gay. But unknown to Powell and the entire athletics world, an unknown 100m attempter, Bolt was lurking at the corner.
Bolt was never a 100m specialist. He reportedly just got into it during the Jamaican trials to sharpen his finishing power in the 200m and got the records smashed in the process. He then stuck to it and added it to his specialties and had looked up to the double ever since that day.
After clinching the 100m gold in a new world record time of 9.69 secs, he hungered for the double but not with a world record in the 200m in mind. Even his admirer and record holder in the 200m, America's Michael Johnson not express any fear his record would be thrown into the trash bin.
To the astonishment of the whole world Bolt dashed through the finish line of the Men's 200m to complete a rare sprint double by winning the Men's 200m, days after having won the Men's 100m at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
He set a new world record of 19.30 seconds in the Men's 200m final to take the gold medal. His elegant and relaxed performance captivated the world of Athletics.
Shawn Crawford of the United States took the silver medal with a time of 19.96 seconds, striding in just ahead of bronze medalist Walter Dix at 19.98s.
Bolt thus became the first man to win the 100m and 200m in the same Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984. But his was with style as he remains the greatest of the double champions because he did it with world records in both events.
The youthful and exuberant champion could barely contain his joy, "I never expected this. I knew the track was a fast track but I didn't think this was possible."
Bolt reveled in his spirited celebrations, laughing and dancing and posing for the world while draped in his national colours.
"I'm shocked, I am still shocked. I have been aspiring to the world record for so long."
This Jamaican sprint giant entered into the final of the Men's 200m as favorite after leaving the world in awe with his phenomenal 9.69s world record triumph in the Men's 100m on August 16.
Predominantly renowned for his 200m talent, Bolt made headlines earlier this year when he stormed onto the 100m scene, clocking 9.72s to break the world record in New York in May.
Bolt has now run the four fastest 200m times in the world this year, including 19.67s (Athens), 19.76s (London) and 19.83s (Ostrava). His winning run of 19.67s at the Athens Grand Prix in July was the fifth-fastest ever.
Bolt could be said to be a beneficiary of the dope scandal that hit the United States and slowed them done. Other athletes who depended on their raw strength and energy to run expectedly took over but not Nigerian athletes who busied themselves running in the circuits across the world to make ends meet.
Since there was no guarantee of grant from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the National Sports Commission (NSC) or the government specifically, the athletes, Olusoji Fasuba, Nigeria's major hope for a medal before now, had no choice but participate in meets around the globe.
At the World Indoor Championship where most of the big names in athletics stayed away from to perfect their strategies for the big event, the summer Olympic Games, Fasuba became the world champion and the AFN, wanting to add it to their achievements record, celebrated on end.
Today, instead of the country benefitting from the flop of the dope inspired Americans, her athletes have again fallen victim to another setback, this time ill-preparation occasioned by lack of money or late release of money by the authorities.
This last point, two men who have tasted it all in the AFN, Dan Ngerem and Alhaji AbdulKarim Amu would not want to hear about. According to them, officials of the AFN knew long time back that they were going to participate in the Olympics and should have been proactive enough to source for funds from other sources while awaiting that from the government.