Why is the domination in distance running events by African nations so recent?

kilbi? wrote:

Coevett wrote:

Bikli in 64 is highly suspicious. An Ethipian victorious on the streets of Rome only a couple of decades after Mussolini had conquered Ethiopia. giving the emperor Halie Salasie revenge. A good story, just a bit too good.

The GDR modelled much of their athletics system on what Ethiopia had in the 60's. Bikli trained in the GDR and cheats like Beyer and Straub trained in Ethiopia.

Keino in 1968 was one of the most suspicious performances in history. No form that summer, collapses in the 10000m, then climbs literally out of his hospital bed to run the equivalent of 3:24 and destroy Jim Ryun who he had never beaten before.

Last year he was accused of embezzling millions from young Kenyan athletes but got off with it due to political intervention.

88 Kenya had several golds from unknown athletes who were based in the USA, where hgh had come out a few years before and was changing the landscape of middle-distance running (Aouita was another user).

It's true that East Africans dominated xcountry from the early 80's. Several of the Kenyans from the teams of that decade were busted.

From the early 90s EPO became widely available. It might even have been a factor in 88. As Mindweak said, the GDR and Soviet Bloc coaches and doctors moved to Africa, as well as Italians after blood doping became illegal in Italy.

Of course the huge population growth of Africa has played a part, although it certainly doesn't explain why Africans are LESS dominant now than 20 years ago.

Another reason is the decline of European and Australasian running. That's due to a number of things, including much more money in other sports especially soccer, obesity and xBox, population plateauing or even declining, and the perception (encouraged here) that East Africans are different from other humans and posses genetic advantages which make it near impossible for other races to compete with them.

Who is Bikli?

Coevett wrote:

Bikli in 64 is highly suspicious. An Ethipian victorious on the streets of Rome only a couple of decades after Mussolini had conquered Ethiopia. giving the emperor Halie Salasie revenge. A good story, just a bit too good.

The GDR modelled much of their athletics system on what Ethiopia had in the 60's. Bikli trained in the GDR and cheats like Beyer and Straub trained in Ethiopia.

Keino in 1968 was one of the most suspicious performances in history. No form that summer, collapses in the 10000m, then climbs literally out of his hospital bed to run the equivalent of 3:24 and destroy Jim Ryun who he had never beaten before.

88 Kenya had several golds from unknown athletes who were based in the USA, where hgh had come out a few years before and was changing the landscape of middle-distance running

It's true that East Africans dominated xcountry from the early 80's. Several of the Kenyans from the teams of that decade were busted.

From the early 90s EPO became widely available. It might even have been a factor in 88. As Mindweak said, the GDR and Soviet Bloc coaches and doctors moved to Africa, as well as Italians after blood doping became illegal in Italy.

Of course the huge population growth of Africa has played a part, although it certainly doesn't explain why Africans are LESS dominant now than 20 years ago.

Another reason is the decline of European and Australasian running. That's due to a number of things, including much more money in other sports especially soccer, obesity and xBox, population plateauing or even declining, and the perception (encouraged here) that East Africans are different from other humans and posses genetic advantages which make it near impossible for other races to compete with them.

dinyiyo wrote:

Coevett wrote:

Bikli in 64 is highly suspicious. An Ethipian victorious on the streets of Rome only a couple of decades after Mussolini had conquered Ethiopia. giving the emperor Halie Salasie revenge. A good story, just a bit too good.

The GDR modelled much of their athletics system on what Ethiopia had in the 60's. Bikli trained in the GDR and cheats like Beyer and Straub trained in Ethiopia.

Keino in 1968 was one of the most suspicious performances in history. No form that summer, collapses in the 10000m, then climbs literally out of his hospital bed to run the equivalent of 3:24 and destroy Jim Ryun who he had never beaten before.

Last year he was accused of embezzling millions from young Kenyan athletes but got off with it due to political intervention.

88 Kenya had several golds from unknown athletes who were based in the USA, where hgh had come out a few years before and was changing the landscape of middle-distance running (Aouita was another user).

It's true that East Africans dominated xcountry from the early 80's. Several of the Kenyans from the teams of that decade were busted.

From the early 90s EPO became widely available. It might even have been a factor in 88. As Mindweak said, the GDR and Soviet Bloc coaches and doctors moved to Africa, as well as Italians after blood doping became illegal in Italy.

Of course the huge population growth of Africa has played a part, although it certainly doesn't explain why Africans are LESS dominant now than 20 years ago.

Another reason is the decline of European and Australasian running. That's due to a number of things, including much more money in other sports especially soccer, obesity and xBox, population plateauing or even declining, and the perception (encouraged here) that East Africans are different from other humans and posses genetic advantages which make it near impossible for other races to compete with them.

Another classic post by Coe-vette. So them been born and training at high altitude has nothing to do whatsoever. Just doping, right? Please, your anti-East African running posts are notorious here, it makes you borderline in the pariah category.

Jerry Dial wrote:

Up until the 1990s, Africans were not doping. But Europeans and North Americans were neck deep in dope.

In the 1970s it was the Finns who pioneered blood doping. That epic battle between Keino and Vassala comes to mind as Vassala passed Keino as if he was standing still.

Europeans countries like Italy and the UK and Germany followed suit which is why Europe produced phenomenal distance runners during this period. Many world beaters came from western Europe during this era.

And of course the Eastern Europeans with their state sponsored doping programs, made it impossible for Africans to be competitive especially on the women's side. Added to that, cultural issue forbade African women from pursuing track as a career. This largely explains why No Kenyan and very few Ethiopian women won anything.

Then Africans got in on the doping act. The pioneers were the Moroccans. They got so good that they were winning more medals and more races than the East Africans. There are epic videos on youtube of Sahere besting Kiptanui in the steeplechase and of course Boulami set the world record at that distance.

Then in the 2000s, East African runners tired of losing to Morocco got into the act.

Today the playing field is level. Everyone is doping from the UK to Germany to Morocco to Kenya to Ethiopia, Italy, USA, Australia and so forth.