3rd Kipchoge pacer popped for drugs- 2016/2019 Rotterdam champ - Marius Kipserem (2:04:04 pb) confesses to EPO usage

Did he have an FTP of 7W/Kg? Some estimates from the sportsscientists and times to climb the Alpe d'Huez suggest it was around 6.3 W/kg.

Can we say it was from EPO? Lance admitted taking many other drugs, on a schedule and in amounts prescribed by Dr. Ferrari, and tailored to mesh with Lance's workouts.

Lance was also a charismatic leader, building and motivating a strong team around him, letting them do most of the work, leaving him fresher for the climbs and time-trials.

His victories were team victories.

Lance also just raced the TdF, leaving him fresher than competitors who raced 1 or 2 other grand tours a year.

That thread was never about "EPO works", but why there were so few, and then by so little, performance improvements from athletes from 5-continents, during the EPO-era.

It is hard to argue that EPO ever worked for sea-level non-Africans, but that didn't stop many from trying hard.

Ethiopia is also experiencing a ravaging Civil War ... I never trust what's published by these leftish regime.

In Morocco, you can find "13 cases" of doping in 2019 (a unique state for 10 years) while in Algeria you find zero cases.

You also find that in Schools they serve the meat of d... to child.

Speaking of Paul Tergat, he was the first Kenyan to set WR for the Marathon in 2003.

en.wikipedia.org

Paul Tergat

Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the...

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So Kenyan dominance of the Marathon raised only in the last 15/17 years.

Incorrect. I remember as far back as 1988 Olympics Douglas Wakiihuri winning Silver in the Marathon battling legend Gelindo Bordin of Italy and then Eric Wainaina winning 2 Olympic medals in the Marathon in 96 and 2000.

Wakihuri won Gold in Rome 87, the first great Kenyan Marathon triumph.

The Great Wkihuri. Proud Kenyan record holder at the end of 1991, abeit over 2 minutes slower than the WR and the fastest Brit, and only the 25th fastest man in history.

Kenya had 3 men under 2:10 (all 2:09), compared to 9 Japanese and 8 Brits.

Then EPO!!!

Less than a decade later, and poor old Wikihuri had been relegated to 33rd on the Kenyan all-time list.

There certainly was an explosion of Kenyan marathon talent in the 90's.

The Kenyan 'take over' of the athletics world from 1987, has all the hallmarks of blood doping and other peds. With blood doping, you can only do it infrequently and use it for the big competitions. This is exactly what happened in 87 and 88, with a sudden flood of gold medals from Kenyans who ran unspectacular times (in fact, completely unspectacular times in the case of a few, like Peter Rono).

It was only from 1992 onwards and the advent of EPO when Kenyan times started to become 'dominant'.

Interesting to see that you are getting downvoted for just stating a fact.

OK, I see now who did the downvote, which explains it completely.

EPO alters hemodynamics. It's not better than normal hemodynamics, just different.

But what almost everyone believes, or is expected to believe is that EPO can increase aerobic metabolism beyond normal human limits. This is impossible by definition. But what Joe Public believes is the real root of the problem.

The Kenyan 'advantage' is not EPO.

You're confusing corruption and exploitation with race results.

East African distance runners are inevitably going to rule the sport regardless of you rants, with or without EPO.

So Wakiihuri likely was clean?

Ah, Wkihuri! I am sure he was an inspiration to the likes of Rushida and Wynony. He himself must have gotten his inspiration from the old time greats Kenio and the Ethiopian Bikklia.

Definitely.

The great Juan Torena was almost as strong built as Wkihuri, so also he was running different events, I'm sure Wkihuri has had Torena as some role model.

Sorry. I allowed myself to be Rekrunnered. Of course nobody is taking EPO. It hasn't been proven to enhance performance.does. Athletes, coaches and managers are ill informed and just plain stupid. And the only athletes who are taking it are the ones who accidentally got caught.

This looks like a bunch of things you tell yourself, as you desparately try to rationalize a possible way for drugs to explain talented performances in Kenya, as if drugs were not both more available and more accessible worldwide, from runners and teams with doctors and pockets and means, able take for granted basic things like electricity and refrigerators.

There was no sudden flood of talent at world level in 1987 and 1988.

In 1981, Ethiopia beat a strong USA team in World Cross Country, while Kenya took third.

Out of 238 runners, Ethiopia placed 6 men in the top-30, while USA placed 6 in the top-51, and Kenya top-57.

This demonstrates a massive depth of talent in East Africa existed in both Ethiopia and Kenya that rivals and surpasses the much larger and richer USA.

Note Russia, who has been practicing both blood doping and steroids since at least the 1970s, placed 10th. Their top runner was #39 (behind all the scoring Ethiopians) and the second runner was #52 (behind all the scoring Americans). Their women did win. This suggests drugs work better for women, especially in an era were the event was immature and global competition was weak. Russia already knew by experience back in the 1980s how effective drugs were for men in distance events.