What sort of reception did he get from the crowd? I hope the athletics community gave him very frosty treatment.
What sort of reception did he get from the crowd? I hope the athletics community gave him very frosty treatment.
Lombard on the podium!
did the 3rd lace finisher sustain a big cut to his forehead during the race?
http://www.annadalestriders.co.uk/IrelandXC/imagepages/image71.html
Does he not look like a darker hair version of Dathan Ritz?
joe mcblow wrote:
did the 3rd lace finisher sustain a big cut to his forehead during the race?
http://www.annadalestriders.co.uk/IrelandXC/imagepages/image71.html
No, I think that is just mud that he whiped across his forehead
Brian Boru wrote:
What sort of reception did he get from the crowd? I hope the athletics community gave him very frosty treatment.
Yes, reserve your cheers for dopers who have never been caught!
grow up, loser. Cragg was born and raised in South Africa. He's about as Irish as I am. (yes, my parents are from Dublin but my parents moved to the US and I was born and raised in America-it would be just as stupid for me to claim being an Irishman and representing Ireland, a place I have only visited, just like Cragg).
Important questions - Did Vinny Mulvey shake hands with Lombard after the race?
Other questions - Is there any evidence that the effect of EPO will have worn off after two years. I mean Lombard was a guy who might sneak onto IRish teams for Euros and WC and now he's beating Cragg and Mulvey whose been top 2 or 3 for last 5 - 6 years.
I mean maybe this is his training smarter - but maybe its the drugs?
To answer your question there was no handshake from Vinny with Cathal. Quite understandable all things considered.
Figured as much. Good for Vinny. Was there a scene?
Any response to my point about the lingering effects of EPO. Correct me if I'm wrong but was the other Lombard not considered the better of the two prior to there trip to Kenya?
Very big of him, i guess some people just never grow up, especially this small guy.
Anyone see how slow it was?!! Would wonder if Cragg has the balls or heart to run in mud.
How can you criticise him for this stance.
Most people have the same feelings that Vinny has but just do not have the balls to stand up for it?
Lombard received grant money, sponsorship money, Irish team spots, race invites, training camp invites, much needed publicity etc that would have otherwise gone to Vinny or his fellow runners and he received them fraudulently.
And everyone is just meant to say 'oh well done on conducting an experiment into drugs - why dont we all open our arms and welcome you back into athletic circles.
Ok, I never really post on this board but this topic has brought up so much emotion I have to. Im only 21 and I remember when Cathal ran his times for the olympics back in 04'. He was an inspiration (so i thought) that dedication and hard work will get you there in the end, my coach preached about him, then 2months later BAM..........drug cheat. I was gutted, then he comes out with the comments about its the only way we (irish/white people) can compete with africans and what not.....gutted even more. Its been pretty much 4 years since then and seeing him race yesterday brought up all these feelings again. When he won i was gob smacked, speachless numb almost. To witness Cathal running around with the silence of the crowd was unbelievable, everyone i think felt the same. While i don't doubt that Cathal mite be a nice guy and is trying to get his running career back in order, he's a cheat....simple. He cheated the whole of athletics ireland, gave us young athletes hope then crushed it. It just put a dampner on the whole day. People say he's done his time and he should be let at it now, but i just don't agree. if he didn't get caught would he have continued cheating?? Giving false hopes?? Once an athlete cheats i think it should be a life ban, if your in that mindset theres no room for you in this sport. my view. with drugs in sport being such a big thing noe in our sport, it only really hit me when the drug cheat was from my country and running in front of me how bad a cheater is. It was a bad day for irish athletics, i think the vast majority of people will agree.
Our Chambers. Least we wont have to worry about sending him to worlds, business comes first with this chap
Another example of the mess that is international athletics. Current bans are not long enough. Yes he has served his, but I am not fully convinced that the systemic effect of EPO use will have left him. I am not aware of any research that rules out long-term benefits from EPO after a period of use. Cragg summed it it up in the bbc interview linked earlier "Whatever he did, he still has the same body that took him there. He's obviously known that he's taken his body to another level and he wants to get back there."
My point is, having attained such heights physiologically through the use of EPO, does he have an advantage? Is his return to form aided or made easier after the his time using EPO?
Irish Athletics needs to get it's house in order and extend its bans to life. Set an example to other countries and avoid situations like this. It's unlikely to happen though. On Irish TV over the Christmas/New Year period, a programme of 50 great Irish Sporting Moments included drug cheat Michelle Smith-de Bruin in the top ten.
yes a ban for life is needed in most positive test cases, but he has served his ban, and is back at at. If hes not on EPO now then all is fine.
Jonxy,
If Mulvey was good enough he would get "grant money, sponsorship money, Irish team spots, race invites, training camp invites, much needed publicity". All of this is performance led, obviously Vinny has or never will perform to get these. Maybe that's why he's so gutted, maybe he needs to look at himself and his own running career and it's failings and blame himself.
Just wondering what was the difference between the times Lombard was running in 2004 to the times Vinny and others were running? Do many people receive sponsorship money and race invites for mid to high 28mins 10k or high 13min 5k. My own view on Lombard is that 2 years was not enough of a ban. It would have been a different story if Vinny and others all had the A or even B standard for Worlds or Olympics but please correct me if they had (bar maybe Mark Carroll).
"obviously Vinny has or never will perform to get these. Maybe that's why he's so gutted, maybe he needs to look at himself and his own running career and it's failings and blame himself"
It's very unfair of you to attack Vinny. He never claimed that he didn't shake Lombard's hand because he missed out on grant money Lombard took from him. A previous posting speculated that.
Vinny is your average hard working domestic runner who competes cleanly. Lombard broke the code of ethics by cheating. His performances were comparable to Vinny before he cheated. Whether the residual effects of EPO still help Lombard, we'll never know. Perhaps he's just competing at his previous 30min 10k level and was good enough to beat the Irish domestic field. Vinny and any other athlete in the race or spectator have a right to be disgusted with Lombard and treat him accordingly.
Ireland is a small country and stars of any sport are treated as local heros. When they cheat, they affect the average person and kids coming up through the sport more than in a large country like the US (unless they are named Bonds or Clemens).
Athletics Ireland and the Irish Sports Council should take a stand and ban him and any future cheats for LIFE!
Lombard has no shame, he should be embarrassed to show his face at any race in Ireland. He was a blatant cheater, a contributor to the ruination of our sport. Fair play to Vinny Mulvey for holding firm on his convictions and not shaking the cheats hand.
