Boulami tests positive...

Hadd wrote:

Moroccan Federation announcement: World steeplechase record holder tests positive

http://sportserver.com/track_field/story/515426p-4092862c.html

(didn't know if I could copy and paste the article, so provided a link)

Sadly I don't think a lot of people are too surprised. Boulami and Mourhit, 2 athletes who train in the Atlas mountains at the Moroccan camps, test positive in the same year. It casts suspicion on the whole lot.

If one was tested positive, does that person need to return the prize money that he earned at the race?

Dammit, can we believe anything anymore?!

I apologize for calling Mourhit names, but this personally saddens me about Boulami.

Last August I was in a personal world-of-shit, but I was in Brussels and witnessed the greatest race the I ever saw, Boulami running the World Record, then taking a full 30 minutes to round the track and shake as many hands, including mine.

That race was an awe-inspiring display of heart, soul, courage, grace and beauty. It lifted me out of my funk in exactly 7 minutes and 55 seconds. Then ElG further improved my mental-state with his close shave with the World Record as well. During both races my heart rate was at about 190, just watching in the stands.

Both these positive tests cast very dark shadows on the entire Morrocan situation.

This sport needs to heal itself.

jason

Whether its systemic among all the athletes or not, this casts a long shadow on the Moroccan running program.

Aweful to say, but they should wipe out Lahlafi's 12:49. The guys was a one race wonder, was the training mate, best friend and roomate of Mourhit. I mean, come on!!!! The mutiple time World Cross Champ, 5 out of the top 12 performers ever in the 5k. The Steeple Chase World Record holder. This is f'ing ridiculous.

Still awaiting the B sample.

And yes, prize money and WR bonus will be returned if B sample is positive as well.

This really wasn't that hard to see guys. 7:53 over freaking barriers? Almost as unlikely a completely human feat as Geb's 12:39.

While he seemed like a likable and nice person, it is now to the point where I no longer believe ANY of them.

Of course he will deny his guilt. How else will he EVER compete again?

Boulami persistent to beat the Kenyans got the best

of him two years ago. The Moroccan always been a great

athlete and was very consistent around 8:05-8:11 range.

Last year I noticed a dramatic change in Boulami's form

he was supremely confident in his abilities. In track

and field I try not to cast doubt on athletes performances

until proven guilty; however, Boulami's confidence was

unshakeable. 2002 was even more bizarre because Boulami

was unbeatable off any pace, just like Olga Y. I always

thought Boulami was a great runner; however, I didn't feel

that he was a world-dominater. Simply my opinion.

Vipam

How long before someone puts a test on that little Moroccan chick who's been running way over her head (30:29, 24:28)..she has roughly the same build as an eight year old boy. With a runner like Paula Radcliffe, you can look at her and tell that she has the raw physical strength to run the times she is posting, but with her, I'm not buying it. By the way, who was it that made the post several months ago about training with the Moroccans in Spain and quoting them as saying something like, "in the afternoons we go to get the shot which makes us run faster"? Whoever you are, you had something there.

Not TOO surprising (how cynical we've become) as, in my opinion, no clean athlete could possibly take apart the NATURALLY-made-for-steeplechasing Kenyans - Boulami won by almost 12 seconds in his Zurich world-record run.

They need to get serious about catching people! There needs to be routine testing of all the top athletes, often enough such that they would catch even one drug use. I also like the idea of freezing blood/urine samples and doing tests 5 and 10 years from now.

I will never regain my respect for a cheater and as fas as I am concerned EVERY race they ever ran should be taken off the books.

The shot commment, wasn't that made by Marc Davis?

I have long speculated that it is probably more likely to see small countries doping than large. If you make it big in track and field in a small country - it is the next best thing to being a national hero and translates in to benefits that your fellow countrypeople cannot even fathom - like eating everyday, or getting a hot shower, home, etc.

And I don't give a shit what anyone says - the Road Kenyans and THE RUSSIAN women running the US road circuit are taking SOMETHING. It is not their ability to run fast that has me speculating, it is their ability to do it week after week, year and year while picking up the prize money at the US races. I definatly believe this to be true about one Russian female master runner. At age 45, she should not be able to race 50 weeks out of the year running world class times and often running back to back marathons and running them in the low 2:40's followed up by 17 10k's in a row. Now that's a doper!

Not only positive tests .After hearing is it?

http://www.iaaf.org/Results/Bio/15189.html

Here's his data.

And I heard that the substance he tested positive for was EPO.

>>Aweful to say, but they should wipe out Lahlafi's 12:49.

I don't know about Laflafi and Mourhit relation well.But even Murhit's record is not wiped out.

Cheesehead wrote:

They need to get serious about catching people! There needs to be routine testing of all the top athletes, often enough such that they would catch even one drug use.

1) The guy broke the WR >last< weekend

2) He's the only track guy to break a WR the past two seasons

3) It was the Moroccan Federation that immediately released the news BEFORE the "B" sample was requested

4) IAAF issued a statement immediately (go to IAAF.org)

I'd say they are being serious. A big name. Not much here for the "cover-up" conspiracy folks.

How long until El Guerrouj slips and tests positive?

i've been following this thread closely since the story broke and thought i'd throw my two cents in. i work very closely with a couple of the moroccan athletes - including that 'little chick,' and i was wondering how long it would take for her to be brought up, but back to the topic.

the word amongst the moroccans is that boulami has been on the outs with the moroccan federation for some time. one athlete went as far as to say that "brahim should know the federation doesn't have his back - on anything." this was a couple of months ago. i'm not about to question the validity of the result - i've been waiting for this one, but the timing of the announcement is a little funny. still, positive is positive, and props to whoever decided to break the story. US federation take note.

about leghzaoui (the little chick). my first reaction, on seeing the 10k record, was "so, she's moroccan, i'm sure she's dirty." well now i'm not so sure. i live in the same house with her and her husband her in the US, and frankly i see no signs of anything. no visits to the doctor, no visits by the doctor. heck, she uses multi-vits and supplements from target. i'm in their apartment frequently, and i don't see anything, but i haven't been looking, and it's not like they'd leave it on the tv.

now i'm with everyone who'd like to see a open test done, but as a casual observer i haven't seen the signs.

anyway, will be interesting to follow the boulami story as it unfolds, but looks like a mess waiting to happen.

mzungu

I meant that there are plenty of world class events where there is no testing. Didn't the Boston Marathon race director for some reason oppose testing?