Rupp Interview after 10k - LetsRun asked him about Verne Gambetta and 'innovation vs. cheating'

Wtfunny wrote:

Why would Rupp have read the article? I'd be HIGHLY surprised if he actually did see it.

Please.

Salazar has excommunicated journalists for asking questions he doesn't like or printing things he doesn't like.

He is OBSESSED with his own image. Of course he would be aware of an article ACCUSING HIM OF CHEATING. Whether or not he talks to dumdum about it is hard to say.

xmvc wrote:

rojo wrote:

A couple of fellow journalists actually came up to me to congratulate me on asking the question.

If the question was a good one and you are happy with it, just let it go and let it be judged on it's own merits. There is no need to defend of embellish after the fact.

Wrong.

Posters are questioning the journalistic validity of the question.

Rojo is relating the opinion of...journalists.

Get it?

It also confuses the truth from the fiction? I'm amazed that you are entertained more by fiction than the truth.

So does Rojo come on to his own site to make some direct accusations ... or does he continue to hide behind any third party that he can find and never really deliver a factual story that he is willing to stand behind?

A Suck wrote:

Wtfunny wrote:

Why would Rupp have read the article? I'd be HIGHLY surprised if he actually did see it.

Please.

Salazar has excommunicated journalists for asking questions he doesn't like or printing things he doesn't like.

He is OBSESSED with his own image. Of course he would be aware of an article ACCUSING HIM OF CHEATING. Whether or not he talks to dumdum about it is hard to say.

I'm sure Alberto read the article. I'm also almost sure that he protected his athletes by not having them read it. Galen could have gone and read it on his own, but I find it totally feasible that he was advised not to read it. Reading bad things about yourself isn't exactly what you want to do to optimize your performance, which is his job.

Rojo, thanks for sharing your account of the interview. I didn't pick up the agent's voice until going back to the flotrack video and listening again. I have to say I have backed off of my stance a little bit after reading your explanation.

To clarify, I obviously don't think it's inappropriate to ask questions about doping or ask an athlete for his thoughts about an accusatory article written about his group. This particular question was poorly worded. You implied that you thought face masks and air purifiers should be considered cheating, and I doubt you actually think that.

I think the question itself is fine but it was very forced. I don't think the article was about altitude masks and stuff like that. I think it was about the other gimmicks: Those giant compression boots, lasers, altitude tents, all of the technology that NOP is pretty open about using.

A pollen mask isn't exactly high-tech or expensive or gimmicky. There was some chick wearing one at club nats. I know athletes who were given those as samples by sponsors. I also know athletes who cannot get through a single workout during allergy season and run like crap, but are otherwise fantastic athletes. I'd probably buy a pollen mask if I were in that situation.

I was confused by the question because I did not read that Gambetta said air purifiers or masks were cheating. It seemed like that was a new fact.

Asking a question is fine but not likely to do anything unless there is something concrete to answer. The Brojos were closer with the Block situation last year. I thought the referenced article was very vague.

If journalists want to make a difference, they should try to get a source on the record. It happened in cycling and, while people like Andreu were ignored for a while, it eventually built up steam. It is not easy but that is the job.

I have not seen anything similar in track reporting about US distance runners. So far there is just speculation (Craig Virgin on Rupp) and rumor (Centrowitz).

Anyone can be dirty but many are probbly clean too.

A Suck wrote:

Wtfunny wrote:

Why would Rupp have read the article? I'd be HIGHLY surprised if he actually did see it.

Please.

Salazar has excommunicated journalists for asking questions he doesn't like or printing things he doesn't like.

He is OBSESSED with his own image. Of course he would be aware of an article ACCUSING HIM OF CHEATING. Whether or not he talks to dumdum about it is hard to say.

Rojo didn't ask Salazar, he asked Galen. And I doubt Galen read it. Why would he? Do you suppose Centro read thru the thread about his "test"? Or do you think that, more than likely, most of these guys are so used to seeing so much crap around the web about themselves they just ignore it?

xenonscreams wrote:

Galen could have gone and read it on his own, but I find it totally feasible that he was advised not to read it. Reading bad things about yourself isn't exactly what you want to do to optimize your performance, which is his job.

It really depends on the personality. Politicians learn to read bad things about themselves, and manage to not let it affect them, whether what they read was true or not. Then are are people who completely fall apart if they read something about themselves that is not true, or that they do not like, or that they do not want to admit to themselves is true.

Wtfunny wrote:

And I doubt Galen read it. Why would he?...

People do love to read about themselves.

Ad Versity wrote:

xenonscreams wrote:

Galen could have gone and read it on his own, but I find it totally feasible that he was advised not to read it. Reading bad things about yourself isn't exactly what you want to do to optimize your performance, which is his job.

It really depends on the personality. Politicians learn to read bad things about themselves, and manage to not let it affect them, whether what they read was true or not. Then are are people who completely fall apart if they read something about themselves that is not true, or that they do not like, or that they do not want to admit to themselves is true.

I obviously can't speak for everyone but even if at the surface I can shrug off bad things or "use them as fuel," they get under my skin and make me doubt myself when I'm trying to perform. So before big races I've started avoiding this place.

No, I have no affiliation with UofO or Nike. But I am appalled by the cheap journalism on this site and the bias that will not allow LR to recognize the accomplishments of Nike athletes. You have to be a "preferred" LR athlete to be given props and I suspect this is just about dollars to LR not objective reporting.

I can't imagine why any runner wouldn't blow off a LR interviewer unless they were on the LR "certified" list. The fact that Rupp even answered the question with professionalism was a tribute to his maturity .... something that is lacking in LR.

So, does Rojo actually have an accusation regarding NOP, Salazar and/or Rupp that he is willing to stand by? Well I guess he is working on an expose where he is willing to site some more third party talk.

By the way,what does Wejo have to say regarding this clown show?

I have been interviewed and I've done interviews, as as an interviewee and interviewer, when something positive happens, personally, I try to keep it positive. You just set an American record, who wants to discuss doping or something of that sort. There was nothing wrong with the question, but I would have picked as a better time. Unfortunately, what will happen now is you will likely never get another interview with Rupp, especially when Ricky is around.

Btw, I am almost certain if Rupp had not read the article, someone briefed him on it, but one sure way to limit the discussion of if is to say you never read it, which was smart on Rupp's part.

xenonscreams wrote:

I think the question itself is fine but it was very forced. I don't think the article was about altitude masks and stuff like that. I think it was about the other gimmicks: Those giant compression boots, lasers, altitude tents, all of the technology that NOP is pretty open about using.

A pollen mask isn't exactly high-tech or expensive or gimmicky. There was some chick wearing one at club nats. I know athletes who were given those as samples by sponsors. I also know athletes who cannot get through a single workout during allergy season and run like crap, but are otherwise fantastic athletes. I'd probably buy a pollen mask if I were in that situation.

Exactly. In an attempt to tie the question in to something Rupp had said in the interview, he mentioned air purifiers and masks. I don't see how anyone would claim either of those is cheating. All kinds of people with allergies have air purifiers for their homes. Whether or not Rupp has read the Dead Spin article, he can answer the question related to air purifiers and a mask only. If he hasn't read the article, he isn't going to have any idea wheat the question is really about.

I thought the question was a little forced, but in track and field there are fewer chances to ask those kind of questions, so I understand why Rojo was trying to get it in. That being said I don't know if the way it was asked ended up actually addressing the things that some may view as questionable.

xenonscreams wrote:

Ad Versity wrote:

It really depends on the personality. Politicians learn to read bad things about themselves, and manage to not let it affect them, whether what they read was true or not. Then are are people who completely fall apart if they read something about themselves that is not true, or that they do not like, or that they do not want to admit to themselves is true.

I obviously can't speak for everyone but even if at the surface I can shrug off bad things or "use them as fuel," they get under my skin and make me doubt myself when I'm trying to perform. So before big races I've started avoiding this place.

I don't think I've ever come across someone down-playing your chances in big races... Your not that big... Just a reddit/letsrun poster...

Fans of the sport, are not fans of very athlete. From high school, to college, to competing against other countries, fans cheer for one athlete, and not for others.

The problem is gray-zone, or innovation. This is the new target of the WADA and the USADA. The prohibited list rules are not restricted to drugs. The list could include something like a modified altitude tent.

"WADA's Prohibited List requires that something meets 2 of 3 criteria: (1) it has the potential to enhance sport performance; (2) it represents a health risk to the athletes; (3) and it violates the spirit of sport."

* fans of every athlete

The only reason to ask such a question immediately after a 10K American record was to call attention to himself. This was an effort by a narcissist to get some small attention even if it meant being a bad boy because ... hey at least as a bad boy I can get attention.

This guy couldn't care less if he took the focus away from an historic event, hey ... at least he got attention ... at least on his own web site.

I agree . Even the "other journalists patted me on the back for asking the question" (not the first time Rojo has offered this) suggests exactly what you're saying.