The World's Fastest Man keeps getting faster.Asafa Powell, the latest holder of the title, improved his 100 meter time to 9.74 seconds Sunday at the Rieti Grand Prix in Italy. The venue was no big deal, but the time is.
There was a time when 10 seconds seemed remarkably fast. Jim Hines first reached the milestone in 1968, and his record of 9.95 seconds stood until 1983.
But these days, breaking the record is like the limbo: how low can they go?
There are lots of explanations for how times have improved over the years: artificial track providing enhanced spring, improved training regimens, strict diets, and technologically advanced shoes.
But the biggest explanation feels like an elephant in the room.
Scandal began leaking into the sport with Ben Johnson's steroid-aided 9.79 in the 1988 Games, and it continued with former record-holder Justin Gatlin failing a drug test last year. And there were others in between.
It's hard to believe that everyone in the sport is on drugs, and I don't want to. But as time goes on, the public has less and less reason to assume that athletes -- track and field or otherwise -- are clean.
Innocent until proven guilty is a great standard for the court room, but it may be worth reconsidering on the playing field.
2 comments:
It's sad, but I just can't take track and field seriously anymore with all of the drug scandals associated with it.
well in fairness MOST of the scandals involve players from the US. Asafa Powell is Jamacian so I would give him the benefit of the doubt in this situation.
Post a Comment