6.97 is very fast and w/o a doubt was unexpected from someone with modest world-class 100m credentials. But, Laverne has always been very good in the 60m; her previous PR of 7.16 was actually pretty good. The 60m is only 2 phases of a 100m and it is not too uncommon to see an athlete excel at phase 1 and 2, get an incredible start, run a great time and never repeats it. As a case in point Angela Williams, Angela Daigle and Melisa Barber have similar 60m PRs and I don't think they have run under 11. Btw, Laverne 100 PR is 11.13 and not (11.24).
What Laverne did is not nearly as shocking as Shelly-Ann Fraser, Kerron Stewart, Simone Facey and Melaine Walker’s improvement in one year and they all seem to have gotten a pass. These women when through about 6-months of no drug testing, no international competition for almost 6-months and show up for 2008 Olympics and have massive PRs. The IOC/WADA pretty much turned a blind eye to the fact that Jamaica was conducting no out-of-competition according to the standard. Shelly-Ann went from an 11.3x sprinter one year to 10.78 the next year and win the Olympic gold medal. In one year Melaine Walker runs the 400 hurdles almost as fast as her 400m flat PR...crazy I know. (You pick on Laverne, but no one wants to talk about that.) Perhaps you can add Jeter to that list as well, although she never disappeared for a 6-month stretch and was always available for drug testing.
It takes more than one great performance to indict someone, you have to look at other factors before proven guilty. Btw, I am not a friend of Laverne, in fact, I’ve never even seen her in person, I just don’t think it is fair to insinuate someone is dirty based on nothing more than having a great performance, especially in an event as iffy as the 60m. We have to welcome and embrace great performances and allow athletes to enjoy their achievements w/o their first thought being oh-my-God people are going to think I am cheating.
