Khalid Skah: quintessential long distance running track douche. The undisputed king, the big kahuna.
Josephat Machuka: Anyone who punches a guy on the back for just passing him is definitely a douche. But this guy was a world class runner, hence world class douche.
Honorable mention: Al Salazar (the way he treated Dick Beardsley before and during the 1982 Boston Marathon speaks volumes of Albertico) Arrogant and a hypocrite. As a coach, his arrogance flourished! Well done Alberto, you didn't disappoint me.
I would like to remove his name from this list. He regretted what he did. He even attended Geb's wedding and they are friends now. He should not have done it but if Geb has forgiven him then we should as well.
Asbel Kiprop and Rashid Ramzi have to be way up there. They put a stain on the sport that made me question why I even watch professional and Olympic track.
Semenya, who is not a female, destroyed an entire event for 1/2 a decade. I don't blame him. I blame the governing bodies that allowed a person with male testes to compete as a woman. What's crazy is there are women in the sport right now advocating for allowing males to compete as women.
Personally, I am not convinced Asbel Kiprop was guilty of doping as charged.
Until yesterday I would have said I don't dislike any runner...then I saw the Marco Langon LRC interview after the NCAA 5K. He's trying to not be liked.
Phrasing it like this deceptively flips what was really an unethical individual with a male body making a joke of the the international women's 800 scene for a full decade. Many bad people "face vitriol and harassment", but what a manipulative way to phrase it.
Caster Semenya is born with external female genitalia and was assigned as a female at birth. Her intersex condition was only diagnosed after she won her first world championship title.
Calling her an "unethical individual" is absolutely disgusting. She is not a drug cheat. She did not fake her identity. Why so much hate?
Isn’t that a little bit doubtful based on photos of him at the beach as a teenager? I doubt very much nobody suspected Caster “wasn’t like other girls” throughout her life. South Africa isn’t exactly the Amazon rainforest society that doesn’t know anything about the outside world. You also have to consider that despite how obvious it all was, he kept racing as a woman for years, stealing medals and records from real women. Even if you decide he was just an ignorant victim of his upbringing as of his first world stage runs in 2009, he definitely knew what he was doing after that.
Caster Semenya is born with external female genitalia and was assigned as a female at birth. Her intersex condition was only diagnosed after she won her first world championship title.
Calling her an "unethical individual" is absolutely disgusting. She is not a drug cheat. She did not fake her identity. Why so much hate?
Isn’t that a little bit doubtful based on photos of him at the beach as a teenager? I doubt very much nobody suspected Caster “wasn’t like other girls” throughout her life. South Africa isn’t exactly the Amazon rainforest society that doesn’t know anything about the outside world. You also have to consider that despite how obvious it all was, he kept racing as a woman for years, stealing medals and records from real women. Even if you decide he was just an ignorant victim of his upbringing as of his first world stage runs in 2009, he definitely knew what he was doing after that.
No one wrote that Caster Semenya was "like other girls" as she grew up. And you are right, South Africa isn't exactly like the Bible Belt where some people don't "know anything about the outside world". She is hugely popular in South Africa (and beyond), I don't even understand why there are discussions about her in this thread.
Is intentionally misgendering Caster Semenya and watching photos of teenagers at the beach your only argument? I believe most athletics lovers may support World Athletics regulation related to androgen-sensitive XY DSD women without resorting to your abject and cringe comments.