How long until Nadia Battocletti gets busted. On what kind of stuff is she on? Batocletti's silver is WADA's biggest test.

Old men have daughters. Some old men look out for their daughters. If this is peak LetsRun, then what a wonderful forum we inhabit.

Had the same first thought after watching her race -- who is this person? When you go through her results, however, you can see junior success & steady progression. I don't follow Italian running so I don't know the name but that doesn't mean she's dirty or that she isn't as dirty as anybody else. She was 7th in the 5k in Tokyo. She looks to be a very good XC runner. Seems normal to take a step forward.

I remember Batocletti finishing a close second to Laura Muir in an indoor championship about 18 months ago, and absolutely beating herself up as she knew she could have won. I also remember Batocletti regularly running well in European Cross Country Championships for years. She has raced regularly and built up her craft and fitness. She's only 24 and must have been tested hundreds of times. Its not as if she is one of those supremely inconsistent African athletes who are middle of the pack then suddenly turn into world beaters just a few months later, such as Mary Moraa, Duguma, Haylom, etc.. Or Cole Hocker?

So do posters on here think Americans who barely race or are constantly beaten when they race in Europe, then who suddenly turn into gold medallists are not worthy of suspicion, while someone with very similar progression (and absolutely standard progression for an athlete) is "suspicious" because she is (a) white and (b) not American?

None of this has any logical basis.

Americans dope but Battocletti has become a poster girl for it.

Perhaps the better doping police in Africa are making it so the playing field is more level. Meaning non- Africans are close to the top in these distance races? Just thouught

All world class athletes are doping period. Runners, cyclists, swimmers, etc. How can we fkn explain world record performances set by known dopers? Dopers are always ahead of testing for multiple reasons. You can use some drugs at specific times of the day and will not be detected the following morning, new drugs that we do not know about yet so we can test for them and the most common stating that the test samples are negative.

Doping has got to work. According to antidoping experts referred to in an Al Jazeera investigation it is estimated to be over a billion dollars annually on the black market. That kind of investment speaks of results. Athletes are rational actors, not fantasists.

Their doesn't seem to be much written about it in English. The gale.com link gives this as a reference:

"Italians cleared after steroid found in food supplement." Guardian [London, England], 29 Feb. 2000, p. 28.

"Italy's national federation has cleared two athletes of deliberately taking nandrolone after they proved their nutritional supplements had been spiked, ..." "It is the first time any athlete has been acquitted after establishing a link between a positive test and a supplement." "... analysis on the remainder of the iron compound that both had been using showed it had (nandrolone) ..."

The book "Anabolic Steroids" written by Patrick Lenehan essentially says the same thing:

"Italy's National Federation cleared two athletes of deliberately taking nandrolone after they proved their nutritional supplements had been spiked. It is the first time any athlete has been acquitted after establishing a link between a positive test and a supplement. Giuliano Battocletti, Italy's half-marathon champion, and Ilaria Sighele, a young woman sprinter, each tested positive for nandrolone. Analysis on the remainder of the nutritional product that both had been using showed it contained nandrolone."

"The IOC has now warned athletes to avoid taking nutritional supplements."

Where should I be, and why do you expect me to run damage control, and for whom?

Just to clarify, neither Renato (to my knowledge) nor I, ever apologize for, or otherwise excuse or defend or encourage or promote any athlete doping against the rules to which they are subject. Renato even proposes that doping athletes should be banned for life and have all results expunged for their whole career. Speaking for myself, my main goal is to point out when doping myths and gossip are factually and evidentially baseless or wanting, or alternatively, to learn about facts and evidence of which I may be unaware.

For example, relevant to this thread, there doesn't appear to be any factual basis for accusing Nadia Battocletti of doping. And yet here we are 7 pages deep in a thread which is seemingly fundamentally anti-track fan gossip, about performances that don't seem to be excessively unusual for top non-African women.

What is this "mind-blowing developments involving USADA?" Do you have a specific question for me to clarify that will still the winds blowing in your mind?

From what I have seen, USADA is upset with CHINADA and WADA for not complying with, and not enforcing WADA Code compliance, respectively, in the case of 23 Chinese swimmers. They seem to have a valid criticism which I have not seen WADA adequately explain. According to the Code, CHINADA should have announced bans, even in the case of no-fault contamination, and WADA should have enforced compliance with its own Code.

For background, WADA is upset with the USA for pushing through its own criminal anti-doping legislation essentially authorizing its own agencies to investigate and litigate extra-territorial anti-doping, beyond any agreement or scope or permission with WADA or other nations. This kind of over-reach is not scalable, and will result in complete chaos if many other nations pass similar legislation.

And WADA is upset with USADA's repeated criticisms, and is resorting to "what about the USA?" type press releases, resurrecting events from 2011-2014, in the court of public opinion. WADA always has the right of appeal in arbitration settings, but rather than airing their grievances in an arbitration setting within the 10-year statute of limitations, they have resorted to press releases. USADA may have good intentions, and indeed may be correct that its approach to under-cover athletes still competing is necessary and effective. However, while there are clauses that permit ban reductions for substantial assistance, I think WADA has a valid point (the same as USADA's point about the Chinese) that the Code does not allow any exceptions to banning athletes, and not announcing the bans.

Hard to for me to judge who is the good guy and bad guy in these disputes, but anti-doping will be harmed if these two bodies keep bickering in some kind of petty power-struggle.

Oh no. The apologists have entered the chat. Loll.

You spelled Kiplegon wrong. SHE’s the biggest doper in distance running by far!!

Renato, we have a saying in America: "Don't wrestle with pigs. You just get dirty, and the pig enjoys it."

Not true. This site has been applauding all kinds of unbelievable performances by white people for the last week. The problem is this girl is not quite white enough, nor speaks English.

Thanks for spoiling it. Now I know no white Engish speaker finished in the top 5.

Dear DK99

I think you don remember where you were Born and you think to know about Nadia Battocletti and his father? Rather tell whoever suggests this things to you. Nadia Isa wonderful atthlet and you don't know anything a about hert atletics histori. Please don't talk anymore

Of course she speaks English, maybe better than you.

And so does Chebet. How many languages do you speak, OP?

Might be walking back some of this, per the Fast Women newsletter: "Battocletti is coached by her father, Giuliano Battocletti, who was a 13:20 5,000m runner and represented Italy at eight world cross country championships. (He also served a 16-month doping ban in 1999.)"

Don't love that. Her progression still looks normal enough to me. Good junior results & obviously has good, even if doped up, genes. Dennis Mitchell coaches a bunch of US sprinters -- is every single one of them doping too? I wouldn't want to be coached by a convicted doper but the sport rewards people like that all the time & I'm sure some of them can coach. Just keep testing & keep out of competition testing. I also would like to see TUEs + whereabouts made public. More pressure on athletes would be a good thing imo.

I remember when Kelsey Chimel beat her. I guess the progression had not kicked in yet. :)