Height is only a disadvantage in the start and acceleration phase, a long stride is an advantage during the maximal phase and the deceleration phase as running velocity is the product of stride length and stride frequency. There's a trade off with long strides and frequency: the longer the legs the slower the frequency of stride. Bolt has one of the slower frequencies but by far the longest stride length.
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Is it likely that Usain Bolt is doping?
- Thread starter Ape Gone Insane
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Height is only a disadvantage in the start and acceleration phase, a long stride is an advantage during the maximal phase and the deceleration phase as running velocity is the product of stride length and stride frequency. There's a trade off with long strides and frequency: the longer the legs the slower the frequency of stride. Bolt has one of the slower frequencies but by far the longest stride length.
Which is why his doping is almost a fact considering how important the two things you listed are in the 100m.
The same Carl Lewis who failed multiple drug tests in the 80's?
When did that come out? I missed all that.
poppabk
Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
It works both ways though.
"Everyone is doping, so the athletes I like and/or from my country that got caught doping are still great and untarnished."
It's likely that almost every top athlete has taken something that would be considered a PED at some point in their career, it's the continued and excessive use especially during competition that dope testing limits.
maximum360
Member
Running/sprinting is cheap. Shoes, a coach, a track is all that's required.
I imagine a specialized diet is required as well...
Doesn't make much sense when you consider his starts are terrible.
Arod, Bonds, Sosa, McGuire, Lance, Marion were all bazillionaire superstars who's sports had every reason to protect them yet they still got caught.
There would be no bigger scalp than Bolt so why has he been able to elude testers all these years while those other guys got caught?
Bill Simmons wrote something about this a while ago
http://grantland.com/features/daring-ask-ped-question/
http://grantland.com/features/daring-ask-ped-question/
That's quite a flawed argument. If those genes are what truly mattered, we'd see far more sprinters from west african countires. There are, after all, far more west africans than Jamaicans so a slightly higher frequency of a specific gene doesn't really matter.
The Maverick
Member
Yup. Jordan probably did it. Lebron too. And I don't doubt Bolt is any different. People underestimate how difficult it is to perform at a supernatural level for years at a time.
Wrong on Bonds. Since baseball worships Babe Ruth they had every incentive to stop Bonds (Hank Aaron is seen as a stat compiler rather than a dynamic slugging force).
Height is only a disadvantage getting out the blocks which is the weakest part of his run. There are guys in other sports that are tall and blisteringly fast like Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson and LeBron James. I'd imagine that Johnson and Moss could have been olympic class sprinters if that's what they wanted to be, Calvin is 240 pounds and ran a 4.35 40 yard dash.
GravityInsanity
Member
'Look, someone is successful! Let's assume they did something illegal, underhanded to get where they are today!'
I believe Bolt is clean. IF he is doping then why hasnt he been caught like his teammates like Blake? Doubt he would be taking something different to mask it that Blake couldn't.
People using the Lance argument forget to realise that a lot of people questioned his results. There were quite a few anomalies when it came to his tests. No issues at all for Bolt.
I believe Bolt is clean. IF he is doping then why hasnt he been caught like his teammates like Blake? Doubt he would be taking something different to mask it that Blake couldn't.
People using the Lance argument forget to realise that a lot of people questioned his results. There were quite a few anomalies when it came to his tests. No issues at all for Bolt.
Ninja Scooter
Member
Did anyone on your list who got "caught" actually fail a test? Why is it so hard to believe anybody can elude testers if guys we know juiced were able to?
How many of Lance's samples have been "tampered with"?
You do make a fair point but in each of those cases there were multiple smoking guns whether it was test samples, finacial records or eye witness testimony.
As far as I know there has been literally zero evidence for Bolt doping beyond "he runs fast".
I understand the cynicism but this notion that every single high performance athlete is doping is silly.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
Look at the delts.
Ravensmash
Member
All this cynicism is sad.
Until the guy has a positive sample, then I'm in the camp of him just being naturally talented.
Same with most high level performers.
Until the guy has a positive sample, then I'm in the camp of him just being naturally talented.
Same with most high level performers.
It's understandable though once you realise how widespread the use of doping exactly is.
When all your childhood sporting heroes are linked to doping at one time or another it's hard to keep faith.
I guess ignorance is bliss sometimes to maintain the illusion of the exceptional athlete.
Diprosalic
Banned
yes he does, but so does no. 2 - 10'000.
doesn't matter at all, still the best ever.
doesn't matter at all, still the best ever.
CyclopsRock
Member
I don't care that much - I mean, they're running in a straight line. There's so little to it. With proper, actual sports there's so much beyond the raw physicality that doping would have less of an effect anyway, so I think it's less likely that, say, footballers would risk getting caught to do it.
The Horror the horror
Banned
So you know J.J. Watt is doping?
I presume most football players with WWE bodies are on something.
The last race Bolt just won is the first time I have ever seen where he actually looked human. When he won in the Olympics or was setting world records he was just a class apart. He just looked like another world class sprinter at the latest competition.
No idea if he is doping but in track and field you should never be surprised when someone fails a drug test...
depths20XX
Member
Of course he's doping, dude runs 70mph or some shit.
I love the "freak of nature" defense. As if Lance Armstrong was not a freak of nature himself (32 BPM resting heart rate that could go over 200 BPM when needed, incredibly low lactic acid levels). As if Marion Jones was not a freak of nature. As if Barry Bonds was not a freak of nature.
I don't know if Bolt or any athlete "dopes". I do wish it were more open so the rest of humanity could eventually benefit from them treating themselves as guinea pigs. But calling someone a "freak of nature" as a defense doesn't work when other freaks have broken the rules with banned substances.
I don't know if Bolt or any athlete "dopes". I do wish it were more open so the rest of humanity could eventually benefit from them treating themselves as guinea pigs. But calling someone a "freak of nature" as a defense doesn't work when other freaks have broken the rules with banned substances.
No amount of doping can make you go that fast. Bionics perhaps...or a pair of cars strapped to your feet. That'll do it.
Ray Wonder
Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
I would like to think he doesn't.. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.
Ninja Scooter
Member
I said successful.
PEDFreeWay2Run
Neo Member
This points pretty convincingly towards Bolt being clean. you can see the evidence and claims for yourself. https://www.rootclaim.com/claims/did-usain-bolt-use-performance-enhancing-drugs-14420
Charles Brandon
Member
The problem with assuming that winning athletes always dope is that that means it's impossible to have any faith in any of them. They are either losers, or dopers. I think it's healthy to be sceptical but not to make a judgement until their is evidence.
Most dopers get busted eventually.
Most dopers get busted eventually.
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