Jonathan Gault has written an in-depth feature on what Shelby Houlihan's prospects are moving forward. He quotes 3 shoe execs as to whether there is a market for her, has quotes from her new agent Paul Doyle and also a quote from Jerry Schumacher as to whether or not he'd want to coach her.
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The calendar just turned to Monday, January 13th, 2025.
Shelby Houlihan is now a free woman.
Whether justice was served, or an injustice committed, the ankle shackles are now off.
We shall now see if Shelby was robbed of the best 4 years of her running life - or if the fires raging inside will still lead to one record performance after another.
Don't know when she'll lace 'em up, but first opportunity awaits this Friday the 17th @ UW Preview.
The calendar just turned to Monday, January 13th, 2025.
Shelby Houlihan is now a free woman.
Whether justice was served, or an injustice committed, the ankle shackles are now off.
Some of you have no clue what slavery was like, and to talk about Shelby as if she were just released from a plantation shows how utterly clueless and insensitive you are. Shelby has been free her entire life.
Just a question here, has she been tested during the 4 year ban? Otherwise one could speculate that she has been pumping those veins full of sh** the last year to get the full pop to get going again now that she is off the ban.
Just a question here, has she been tested during the 4 year ban? Otherwise one could speculate that she has been pumping those veins full of sh** the last year to get the full pop to get going again now that she is off the ban.
She was tested 16 times in 2021, 18 in 2022, 9 in 2023 and 7 in 2024.
Just a question here, has she been tested during the 4 year ban? Otherwise one could speculate that she has been pumping those veins full of sh** the last year to get the full pop to get going again now that she is off the ban.
She was tested 16 times in 2021, 18 in 2022, 9 in 2023 and 7 in 2024.
correct. this has never occurred to world testing organisations.
the idea that banned athletes could use their entire ban to take huge amounts of drugs and not be tested and then come back as some super doped winner is clearly not worthy of consideration by wada etc.
I don't really know what she will do first, but I am curious to see how training solo and missing four years of racing will impact an elite runner.
Leaving the doping ethics issues to one side, I am just curious about her as if this is a science-experiment.
That is indeed interesting. But there are too many variables of course, not just the age and the ever changing super shoes: just like with Gatlin's past, we do not know whether she is now doping more or less than before.
We do know that USADA started watching her less for some reason - collecting her blood + urine samples "16 times in 2021, 18 in 2022, 9 in 2023 and 7 in 2024" per So far so good.
I'm a big rehabilitation over retribution guy, and if Shelby has learned her lesson and competes cleanly, I'm excited to see what she does, if for no other reason than I'm interested in how someone who's been banned for 4 years bounces back. What kinda precedence is there for this? I know Gatlin came back, and Coleman came back from an 18 month suspension, but sprinting is kinda a different sport.
Personally I assume everything she did before her ban was doped/doesn't count now, but from now on, as long as she's passing the tests that everyone else is passing, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt that I give everyone else (ie Addy Wiley). I don't expect her competitors to offer her any respect, and I'm not really sure she deserves any, but I will definitely at least tune in to the live splits of her races, and I will happily tune into the sh*tstorm that I know will be on here if she wins any races. 2025 is shaping up to be an incredibly entertaining year of track and field.
I'm a big rehabilitation over retribution guy, and if Shelby has learned her lesson and competes cleanly, I'm excited to see what she does, if for no other reason than I'm interested in how someone who's been banned for 4 years bounces back. What kinda precedence is there for this? I know Gatlin came back, and Coleman came back from an 18 month suspension, but sprinting is kinda a different sport.
Personally I assume everything she did before her ban was doped/doesn't count now, but from now on, as long as she's passing the tests that everyone else is passing, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt that I give everyone else (ie Addy Wiley). I don't expect her competitors to offer her any respect, and I'm not really sure she deserves any, but I will definitely at least tune in to the live splits of her races, and I will happily tune into the sh*tstorm that I know will be on here if she wins any races. 2025 is shaping up to be an incredibly entertaining year of track and field.
An indication of how she will "bounce back". A Russian woman 800m runner recorded 1:56 and then was busted for doping. She turned whistleblower. Trying to compete clean she couldn't run faster than 2:01 when she came back. If Houlihan is clean she won't be anywhere near what she was when she was busted.
The calendar just turned to Monday, January 13th, 2025.
Shelby Houlihan is now a free woman.
Whether justice was served, or an injustice committed, the ankle shackles are now off.
Some of you have no clue what slavery was like, and to talk about Shelby as if she were just released from a plantation shows how utterly clueless and insensitive you are. Shelby has been free her entire life.
Emancipation has meant "release from restriction" long before it was applied to slavery. Agree, obviously, that even if Shelby was innocent she has experienced nothing like slavery.
The calendar just turned to Monday, January 13th, 2025.
Shelby Houlihan is now a free woman.
Whether justice was served, or an injustice committed, the ankle shackles are now off.
Some of you have no clue what slavery was like, and to talk about Shelby as if she were just released from a plantation shows how utterly clueless and insensitive you are. Shelby has been free her entire life.
......
Exactly. That post was very insensitive and morning. Million of people stripped from their homeland and forced into a lifetime of torture and forced labor. Hundreds of Thousands being killed for not submitting to the injustice and poster used it to compare a 4 year ban.
Some of you have no clue what slavery was like, and to talk about Shelby as if she were just released from a plantation shows how utterly clueless and insensitive you are. Shelby has been free her entire life.
......
Exactly. That post was very insensitive and IDIOTIC. Million of people stripped from their homeland and forced into a lifetime of torture and forced labor. Hundreds of Thousands being killed for not submitting to the injustice and poster used it to compare a 4 year ban.
I'm a big rehabilitation over retribution guy, and if Shelby has learned her lesson…
The public: “Hey Shelby, if you claim that you do not bend the rules and have integrity, demonstrate that you can follow basic guidelines of your ban.”
Shelby: “Well I’m going to show up to Bowerman training runs and take advantage of the ‘practice was technically over for them’ excuse and Mr. ‘I’ve never heard of Nandralone’ is fine with this.”
The calendar just turned to Monday, January 13th, 2025.
Shelby Houlihan is now a free woman.
Whether justice was served, or an injustice committed, the ankle shackles are now off.
Some of you have no clue what slavery was like, and to talk about Shelby as if she were just released from a plantation shows how utterly clueless and insensitive you are. Shelby has been free her entire life.
Emancipation - look it up..
[the fact or process of being set free from legal, social, or political restrictions; liberation.]
Sorta understand you being triggered, but she is now emancipated from her restrictions.
