Why does everyone forget that Bernard Lagat failed a drug test?

If you are really interested in the answer to this question, which I doubt, a quick google search of the archives will show you this discussion has happened many, many times, and the "huge majority" of evidence has supported Lagat's innocence. Whether your ignorance is due to laziness or vitriol, it's not worth repeating the discussion just for your sake.

Drug tests don't matter when they are testing for drugs tests either cannot detect or can only detect if the user is a moron.

Have Geb, El G, Flo-Jo, Michael Johnson, Kipketer, Bekele, or Daniel Komen ever tested positive?

You're really quite the prose stylist, aren't you sonny?

NOLIMIT wrote:

Why did he drop out of the World Champs because of injury when it was because of this positive test if he didn't do anything wrong?

This board is full of people who believe evidence can manufactured, construed and argued to support any desired viewpoint they choose. Without a law degree to back your support of the "huge majority of evidence" and/or a court that agreed then you are simply a tool sitting on his computer calling people ignorant of evidence you aren't qualified to analyze. I am sure you would probably argue that the "huge majority" of evidence pointed to O.J. not killing 2 people too.

We could debate the facts of many people who have tested positive and their alleged legitimacy, yet no one does with Lagat. They just say he didn't do it, and kiss his a$$. It is idiotic to me and I am simply wondering why people here do nothing but praise him. I don't buy that the vast majority of people in the running community support him because they spent countless hours examining this "evidence" before they decided to form their opinion.

NOLIMIT wrote:

We could debate the facts of many people who have tested positive and their alleged legitimacy, yet no one does with Lagat.

Yeah, we did. Sorry you missed it. What were you hoping to add to this debate from 7 years ago?

Why does everyone forget that 3 white americans broke 13 within one year, a feat that had only been accomplished once in the entire history of US track. Or that 4 US women broke 4 within a year, a feat that had only been accomplished once legally in the entire history of US track. And that both happened at the same time! What a coincidence, my god, what a coincidence!

Why does everyone forget that American Jim Lightbody won 4 Olympic gold medals and two silvers?!

Concerned Citizen wrote:

Why does everyone forget that American Jim Lightbody won 4 Olympic gold medals and two silvers?!

Well, it was 1904, and most people who are great grandparents today were not even born yet.

Secondly, after looking him up, I think your total is inflated. Some of those medals came from the 1906 "Olympics" held between the official ones in 1904 and 1908. The 1906 meet was deleted from Olympic records long ago.

The US is tasking the lead in the PED race, finally.

Because he didn't fail a test. If I remember the case correctly, his A sample came back positive, and his B sample didn't. Therefore, it's a negative sample. You might not like it, but them's the rules of the game.

nomohideo wrote:

The US is tasking the lead in the PED race, finally.

Oh yeah, those damn African countries and their massive drug companies! No wonder we were at such a huge disadvantage all these years.

As someone pointed out he didn't technically fail a drug test so the title of the thread has an incorrect statement.

The 'A' sample result was leaked and it shouldn't have been.

We absolutely know that either the 'A' sample or 'B ' sample was wrong so it has been confirmed to be an inacurate test in this case.

We can surely suspect that he was on drugs.

We know that athletes more often than not can take drugs without failing tests.

And the man did run 3:26 which is eyebrow raising.

And since we accidentally know that he had an 'A' sample test turn positive there is as good a chance as any that it was the 'B' sample that was wrong.

No one has forgotton this.

But Lagat did not fail a drug test.

The IAAF never had any sanctions or suspension for him.

Athletics Kenya pulled him from the 2003 World Championships when they they were informed of the initial test result. They did this on their own and were not ordered to do this under any international regulations from what I recall. They leaked the result.

It has and continuously does affect his reputation.

Oh and I like watching him race because he is savy and competes hard.

Smellmo wrote:

Why does everyone forget that 3 white americans broke 13 within one year, a feat that had only been accomplished once in the entire history of US track. Or that 4 US women broke 4 within a year, a feat that had only been accomplished once legally in the entire history of US track. And that both happened at the same time! What a coincidence, my god, what a coincidence!

Actually one of those 3 Americans is Lagat and he had done it before.

It couldn't be that some coaches and their athletes started listening to Lagat and what he was doing, and started training harder (NOT more mileage), could it?? Nah, then the Lydiard cult wouldn't be able to write those big numbers in their logbooks and make believe they were training hard.

Just like it couldn't be that Gay and his coach paid attention to what the Jamaicans were doing and started working harder.

Much easier to say they're all on drugs, so you don't have to face training harder yourself.

Coach D wrote:

Smellmo wrote:

Why does everyone forget that 3 white americans broke 13 within one year, a feat that had only been accomplished once in the entire history of US track. Or that 4 US women broke 4 within a year, a feat that had only been accomplished once legally in the entire history of US track. And that both happened at the same time! What a coincidence, my god, what a coincidence!

Actually one of those 3 Americans is Lagat and he had done it before.

Dathan Ritzenhein - 12:56.27 Zürich 28/08/2009

Chris Solinsky - 12:55.53 Stockholm 06/08/2010

Matt Tegenkamp - 12:58.56 Bruxelles 04/09/2009

Smellmo wrote:

Why does everyone forget that 3 white americans broke 13 within one year, a feat that had only been accomplished once in the entire history of US track. Or that 4 US women broke 4 within a year, a feat that had only been accomplished once legally in the entire history of US track. And that both happened at the same time! What a coincidence, my god, what a coincidence!

Who are the four US women that broke four minutes within one calendar year?

Lagat was low mileage because he was primarily a miler, and he runs more now. I don't think any of the other guys who broke 13 would be considered low mileage, anyway. They're all running 100+.

Actually one of those 3 Americans is Lagat and he had done it before.[/quote]

Dathan Ritzenhein - 12:56.27 Zürich 28/08/2009

Chris Solinsky - 12:55.53 Stockholm 06/08/2010

Matt Tegenkamp - 12:58.56 Bruxelles 04/09/2009[/quote]

I have been very impressed - three american born athletes (all from Midwest roots) who ran well in hs and then continued to get better and joined the other midwesterner who showed the way (BK)

because he was exonerated by the far more accurate b test and because he is a great guy and a tremendous competitor.

Ho Hum wrote:

Lagat was low mileage because he was primarily a miler, and he runs more now. I don't think any of the other guys who broke 13 would be considered low mileage, anyway. They're all running 100+.

So you are familiar with the training of all ~80 of history's sub-13 guys? Where did you come across this information?