Like others, I consider Evelyn Ashford to be the greatest sprinter in the 1988 women's 100m final; indeed, the greatest female 100m runner of the entire decade, and by a large margin. I still remember the post-race interview of Ashford and FloJo: When the interviewer asked Ashford to talk about how amazing FloJo was, Ashford had this slightly sick expression on her face, as if she knew that a massively doped runner had just prevented her from repeating as the Olympic champion and stolen her rightful place as the best female sprinter ever. Moreover, unlike FloJo, who suddenly got a lot faster in the last year of her career, Ashford had been consistently on top for close to ten years before that race, and I never heard a serious suggestion that she was a doper.
Ashford wasn't the only athlete to have a 'sick expression' re Flo-Jo. Marlies Gohr made a comment that a woman could only run 10.49 legally if "she had rockets on her feet", so don't take Ashford's annoyance for being clean.
It makes me chuckle when American fans hold Ashford up as this clean super heroine, like many do with JJK. They were both are drugged up as everyone else in that era. Alice Brown (she of the low voice & body builder physique) Pam Marshall (Miss watered down with vinegar sample) Dianne Williams (had to shave her face coz of the roids) Flo Jo (nuff said...) You name 'em, every one of the US women sprinters of note in that era was doped. You had to be, to compete with the best.
Yet for some bizarre reason some think that everyone else apart from Ashford was dirty, the same as others do with Bolt. LMAO get outta here!
Then Evelyn Ashford should have asked for her money back coz clearly her drugs were far inferior to the ones that Flo-Jo was using...
Then Evelyn Ashford should have asked for her money back coz clearly her drugs were far inferior to the ones that Flo-Jo was using...
and that, my friend, is part of the point.
The rumours have long been that Flo Jo was not only taking steroids, but experimenting with HGH too. That was not a substance in the GDR programme, and neither was it for other US female sprinters.
Flo Jo and her coach - effectively Bobby Kersee, who took her to 10.49w form, until she moved to her husband before Seoul - experimented with this 'new' drug, and she turned into wonder woman. Ashford and co didn't have a clue.
I personally believe every sprinter in the 1988 Olympics final men and womens 100 meters final was completely dirty. The whole field in both races. They were on everything imaginable. Every last one of them! Poor Ben Johnson was just the dumb one that got caught. Everytime one of them who got caught from that era would say something like," my drink was spiked" or "an act of sabotage has been done". Ben Johnson was the only one that said," yeah I did it".
And not only that, she also got to race with a 4.x m/s tailwind that was actually ratified as a world record because the wind gauge basically melted in 100 degree + weather in Indy that trials. Doesn't get much better than that!
I still remember the post-race interview of Ashford and FloJo: When the interviewer asked Ashford to talk about how amazing FloJo was, Ashford had this slightly sick expression on her face, as if she knew that a massively doped runner had just prevented her from repeating as the Olympic champion and stolen her rightful place as the best female sprinter ever.
Not sure what post-race interview this is. Olympics or Olympic Trials? Here is the interview immediately post-race in Seoul. It starts at about 4:48.
Flo-Jo pumped life into T&F in 1988. Did she dope? Probably no more than anybody else. My question: Why did she abruptly retire after 1988? Huge money was forfeited.
FloJo was Kersee's response to Eastern Bloc's doping efforts. East Germany was able to make 11.1 22.x runners into 10.8 and 21.7 runners. Kersee made a 10.8 and 21.9 runner into a 10.4 and 21.3 runner
She was drugged up, but so was everyone else. She had the talent and the PEDs to support her
I hope you guys are never on a jury. Evidence be damned with the cynics on this board.
Lance was pretty clean according to this situation, Bolt had teammates suspended just like Lance did and yet he also passed every test (that we know of ) both had doctors of serious questions...nothing cynical about that
Ashford wasn't the only athlete to have a 'sick expression' re Flo-Jo. Marlies Gohr made a comment that a woman could only run 10.49 legally if "she had rockets on her feet", so don't take Ashford's annoyance for being clean.
It makes me chuckle when American fans hold Ashford up as this clean super heroine, like many do with JJK. They were both are drugged up as everyone else in that era. Alice Brown (she of the low voice & body builder physique) Pam Marshall (Miss watered down with vinegar sample) Dianne Williams (had to shave her face coz of the roids) Flo Jo (nuff said...) You name 'em, every one of the US women sprinters of note in that era was doped. You had to be, to compete with the best.
Yet for some bizarre reason some think that everyone else apart from Ashford was dirty, the same as others do with Bolt. LMAO get outta here!
I mean being liked goes a long way right....
In the case of Bolt you have a guy who as we all know is light years ahead of the "best of the rest" who were basically all implicated/caught - and it's not like they weren't talented athletes. But yeah sure, one "superhuman talent" can overcome that? Just like Lance did right?
But of course Bolt is from Jamaica, has a big smile, dances, poses, eats only chicken nuggets and we all love him - so we let the obvious just slide don't we.
On to Ashford - when you step back, she is one of the most interesting sprinters to look at of all time. Because while basically every guy from that era (including the "great" Carl Lewis) was heavily implicated/caught and so was the most famous woman of that era in Griffith Joyner, Ashford never really had any questions/spotlight/heat and she was arguably the preeminent sprinter of that era when you look at her complete career.
There are a couple of things that support her. First is a long career (7 sub 11 second years and ran between 10.7 and 11.1 for 12). A lot (not all, but a lot) of doping in that era was pretty crude anabolics which basically gave a lot of sprinters physical abilities their bodies couldn't handle. Muscles got too big and powerful for ligaments and tendons and they blew their bodies apart. That's what happened to Flo-Jo and Ben Johnson in particular.
There isn't really anything in her progression that jumps out as crazy like FGJ (like being plateaued as a 10.9-11.0 runner then popping to the 10.6's out of nowhere. She first breaks 11.0 as a 22 year old, within 4 years runs 10.79 at altitude in CO Springs (same day as Calvin Smith broke the WR so it was good for sprinting) and that propels her into her career peak which tapped out at 10.76 in Zurich a year later. So in terms of career numbers, nothing jumps off the page as seeming ridiculous (like Fl-Jo, or Marcel Jacobs, or ahem Usain Bolt 10.03 to 9.69 anyone?) Visually she passes the eye test. There wasn't really any dramatic change in her physique throughout her career either.
Now all that being said - it could mean nothing. She may well have been as dirty as anyone in that era - maybe her body just (fortunately) responded in a different way and didn't project many of the major tell-tale signs like it did with others. We simply can't discount anything. Either way I personally like to think of her as one of the "most likely to be clean" out of a tough era to contextualize. That doesn't mean I am fully convinced she was - it just means that I think irrespective of anything she was the most naturally talented of the crop (a similar situation to Bolt, Armstrong etc etc).
Like others, I consider Evelyn Ashford to be the greatest sprinter in the 1988 women's 100m final; indeed, the greatest female 100m runner of the entire decade, and by a large margin. I still remember the post-race interview of Ashford and FloJo: When the interviewer asked Ashford to talk about how amazing FloJo was, Ashford had this slightly sick expression on her face, as if she knew that a massively doped runner had just prevented her from repeating as the Olympic champion and stolen her rightful place as the best female sprinter ever. Moreover, unlike FloJo, who suddenly got a lot faster in the last year of her career, Ashford had been consistently on top for close to ten years before that race, and I never heard a serious suggestion that she was a doper.
Yall are always talking as if FLoJo woke up one tuesday and ran 10.49 as if she not already an Olympic Silver Medalist
I personally believe every sprinter in the 1988 Olympics final men and womens 100 meters final was completely dirty. The whole field in both races. They were on everything imaginable. Every last one of them! Poor Ben Johnson was just the dumb one that got caught. Everytime one of them who got caught from that era would say something like," my drink was spiked" or "an act of sabotage has been done". Ben Johnson was the only one that said," yeah I did it".
Dennis Mitchell was clean, beer and sex were his un-doing.
It is hilarious that you think arguably the the only true prodigy on my list, Sydney, someone who demonstrated far superior athletic potential even before her teenage years and you think she is doping. Fascinating.
Like others, I consider Evelyn Ashford to be the greatest sprinter in the 1988 women's 100m final; indeed, the greatest female 100m runner of the entire decade, and by a large margin. I still remember the post-race interview of Ashford and FloJo: When the interviewer asked Ashford to talk about how amazing FloJo was, Ashford had this slightly sick expression on her face, as if she knew that a massively doped runner had just prevented her from repeating as the Olympic champion and stolen her rightful place as the best female sprinter ever. Moreover, unlike FloJo, who suddenly got a lot faster in the last year of her career, Ashford had been consistently on top for close to ten years before that race, and I never heard a serious suggestion that she was a doper.
Yall are always talking as if FLoJo woke up one tuesday and ran 10.49 as if she not already an Olympic Silver Medalist
Meh
Yes she won a silver medal in the 200M in 22.04. Certainly not a fantastic time as the WR at the time was 21.71. So to claim a correlation to 21.3 is a hard sell.
Lol. You mean the lady coached by the Chemist? You serious??
Serious like a heart attack. The same coach of Allyson Felix and Jennifer Prandini and Athing Mu. Logically you would have to claim that Allyson, Jennifer and Prandini were and are on PEDs as well.
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