Here's my full theory on Sun Yingjie's Positive Test:
This is coming from a guy who's been to China for training about 15 times. I've been all over Yunnan Province for training, and I've also visited Xiamen, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
(1) The Chinese are going to stop at NOTHING to try to ensure that China will be at the top of the medals table in Beijing. All the well-meaning "international cooperation" that it took them to win the Olympics in the first place is going to fly out the door when August 2008 comes around.
(2) I believe that right now, as we speak, Chinese scientists are cooking up undetectable steroids, blood builders and hormones, possibly derived from elements of Chinese medicine. Their efforts are going to make BALCO look like kids playing with a chemistry set in comparison.
(3) Sun Yingjie is not on the upswing in terms of improvement. She bombed at Athens, even though she ran her 2:19 a year early, and yes I believe she was CLEAN. I've had the unique opportunity to run with some of the Chinese runners in Yunnan and they are TOUGH. Chinese women are very very tough athletes. Sun Yingjie has had a long and glorious career, finishing highly in many marathons and winning a brone in the 10km at the Paris 2003 world championships. If she was on drugs, I think that she would have tested positive long before this week.
(4) I believe that the Chinese authorities chose to set up Sun Yingjie, in particular, because (a) She's a top athlete and (b) she doesn't have much chance of a medal in Beijing. She's run a huge number of marathons, often 2 in a month, and she's arguably towards the end of her career. China is grooming other younger women for the Beijing olympics.
(5) China KNOWS that they have to look like they are "tough on drugs" going into the Olympics, and "busting" top athletes is part of the programme. They know that the western world looks at them with an eye of suspicion. Every single day, an innocent Chinese man or woman is executed due to being framed or forced by torture to confess. The police just want to look good and close the case. They don't give a damn about true justice. It's all about APPEARANCES.
Call me nuts, call me crazy, whatever. I just smell a rat here.
Jason