Interview With Abdi After Race He Had No Idea Fagan Had Tested Positive

I love the "awful camera work" comment - walking down a hall with a stiff-legged guy who just finished a marathon. The guy has a rocking gait, so you choose to pick on the camera work? What about the fact that he's conducting an interview while walking - not an easy thing while holding a camera.

Mike Thomas wrote:

Brojos you guys are douche bags. This is what is wrong with the sport. There is a time and a place for this stuff and a post race interview after buddy qualifies for the Olympics is not it. It may just be my opinion, but that's classless.

These athletes are professionals. This (unfortunately) goes with the territory. Its a part of the sport, and questions like this need to be asked. Also good that Weldon asked before the interview started.

getting to the point wrote:

Wejo, I applaud you for this interview because you did it in a respectful way (letting Abdi know you were going to ask the question before turning on the camera).

I ask you this: did he show any kind of body language that makes you think he's either telling the truth or is lying? Or did you feel any kind of vibe that "hey, I don't think Abdi is telling the truth"?

I believe what Abdi told me. He seemed shocked. Plus, he called Fagan a "great guy" before I mentioned the EPO positive. If he was trying to cover something I don't think he'd be praising Fagan.

And if you're going to lie I don't see what advantage it does to pretend you just find out some guy tested positive.

Here is what Abdi said if you don't want to watch it. When I was just talking to him about Fagan: "He just got hurt and left. He's a great guy. He was in such great shape.

He was staying in my house and I dind't see anything and one day he said, "I was running to hard for him" and he left.

... He told me he was hurt and didn't want to run anymore."

After I realized he did not know about the EPO test and told him, Abdi said, "It's kind of sad situation. It's real bad news for the sport. I'm disappointed with him. I like to assoicate with people who are clean. I'm really disappointed with him as a person."

Slow down your speech cadence to an even pace when asking questions. Takes practice.

didn't realize that rojo and wejo are midgets...is that one of them at the start with the blue jacket on walking along the wall?

another thing, the interviewer's voice and approach totally sucked, lol. the interviewer sounds like he's on something himself...

Agreed that the questions could be asked a little more slowly. Abdi seemed genuine, but sometimes I wonder if this whole sport is dirty.

Black cactus looked guilty as h3ll. I would never have thought it until I saw that video, but he knew what was up.

I'm naturally suspicious of pro endurance athletes, but I thought his reaction was a bit pat as well.

What I hate is that I can never seem to think an athlete is 100% certainly clean.

It's easy to be suspicious of Abdi's comeback to tell you the truth.

Raptured wrote:

Sorry, brojos, but this interview sucks. How about you focus on Abdi rather than a cheater?

This is good advice on multiple levels. Astoundingly bad camera work, guys.

Raptured wrote:

Sorry, brojos, but this interview sucks. How about you focus on Abdi rather than a cheater?

How dare you ask them to focus on a man who just made the Olympic Team in the marathon, instead of asking stupid questions about drugs.

Great interview. I've seen thousands of interviews with great sound and camera work and are full of boring cliches that would send you to sleep.

Abdi talked open and honestly, was nice to see in an interview.

I just watched the video. There is nothing about Abdi's reaction that says he knew about Fagan's doping or that Abdi was in on it. He presented a range of emotions consistent with someone being genuine and honest. He went from shock (notice the affect change and long pause), to processing (looking down and confused), and literally moved on to "oh well, that's his fault...I'm on my way to London and I'm clean" presentation. My impression is that Fagan was not a friend of Abdi,only someone who was passing through his life as a training partner. It makes sense to me that Abdi seemed unconcerned that Fagan stopped in the middle of a run ("because I was running too hard) according to Abdi. When you are focused on one thing and one thing only, nothing distracts you from that...especially a business partner gone astray.

I don't blame him. If I just had the race of my life and was on my way to the Olympics, the last thing I'd want to do would be talk about some crazy Irishman who just got busted for drugs. As for the interviewer, I thought it was a legitimately good job (even the camera work to be honest). I just think Abdi was TOTALLY enjoying the moment and didn't want to have some reporter/media guy taking it from him.

I should start by mentioning that I am an Abdi fan. Here is what does not seem to add up to me. I was at the marathon trials and before the race started, I was talking to someone "in the know" who is currently living in Flagstaff. He mentioned that it is no secret in Flagstaff that Fagan is dirty. He also mentioned that even nurses at the hospital where aware of another nurse administering the injections(or some of them) and/or supplying knowledge of the injections. Basically, some people in the non-running community were aware of Fagan doping. That is no well kept secret. If they knew, and my friend knew, how did Abdi not know? I thought Fagan lived with Abdi at some point? Don't you have to keep EPO refrigerated? Did Fagan have his own mini-fridge in his room or did he store it in the fridge in Abdi's kitchen? Or was it not in the house at all and only kept at the hospital or the involved nurses house? I think these are all legitimate questions and maybe someone knows the answers to them.

i agree. i thought that abdi did very well during the interview.

And give me a break. Abdi cheats his way to a time that is 6 minutes off being competitive with the best kenyan runners? he intentionally trains and lives at altitude, like meb? for a sporting event that was immediately before the "incredible dog show"? that is sad if true.

Those are very relevant points indeed.

Especially having shared appartment its almost impossible to not notice. (The fridge, the guy needing to administer injections etc)

Americans can't help it living and training in America.

I have been suspecting Europeans though, finding vague reasons to go live and train as far as possible from their home countries, using "altitude" and "professional training groups" as excuses. The top European (even from European descend) athletes never needed that. Ran 2.10 or so next to full time jobs, doing lots of races. No hiding of any kind.

Europeans are crying babies about the Kenyans being so advantaged by their birthplace. Ignoring that these guys actually have little better to do in life but to run. The best talents WILL be found, and they WILL become runners, even if they could care less about athleticism.

Then these Europeans stick to theirr awesome overstriding gaits, find rich sponsors to pamper them, and live far away from their national anti-doping agencies. Offering very remote mountainous locations as whereabouts. Guess how often they are tested out of competition versus runners who stay at home?

USA is Spain 2.0. Just face it.

Even folks who don't need any boost to their training or any kind of new motivation, give up all, and go train in the USA. Did MoFarah need the USA, in your opinion?

Can't Europeans get knowledgeable coaches in Europe? All the managers for the Kenyans are Europeans for crying out loud. Perhaps they can't offer what they are looking for.

USA has been getting some very suspect performances in LD over the past years. Times that don't jive with a runner's body style, let alone running style. It doesn't make sense. Only the highly regarded coach (highly suspect also) makes sense.

Abdi needed a few seconds to compose himself. Still, I tend to trust him in being disappointed in Fagan. But after leaving as abrubt as he did, that was called for anyway.

If athletes don't trust each other, they'll dope and not tell others. I know that in cycling, they even trust riders they've nevver met, assuming they all shoot up. Friend of mine happened to share a room with a rider, and he just shot up right in front of him, didn't evven seek privacy for it. Asking WTF he was doing, he replied "hey, I have a wife and family, riding is all I know how to". The doper was probably more surprised his new found buddy was pro fairplay than him shooting up in front of him.

Is the world of sports fans slowly being warmed up to the idea that "they all do it", to let the ones caught last be given some slack when it happens? Let's start with the orugh around the edge's runners from less significant countries. We know what they're up to here in the US, so wee'll catch them in the act.

Altitude training is way too popular. After decades, it's become the ultimate excuse to show up with favorable blood values, should a blood sample ever be taken at all. And, if you never get tested after a long time at sea level, your blood passport will be based on your "altitude" values only.

I wish there was money to test them way more often. We have a pretty good idea when to do it, but microdoses become indetectable so soon, you needd a few tries to catch them with it.

ediblecrevidence:

If you're going to spit off "relevant questions" as such and go as far to offer significant insight/details of these allegations against Abdi, don't be a coward and hide behind this computer screen. As you've led us to believe others (albeit nameless)were involved in this scandal, I say call 'em out. Call all of them out or stop this cyber-bashing and guilt by association/public guilt banter.

I applaud you for asking. But I have to disagree on one point. If our sport were treated like a major sport I think the media (and not you) would ignore the drug thing just like they do in other sports.

If the NFL conducted tests like track and field they'd be going to the high schools to fill rosters.

They simply pretend it doesn't exist.

You guys do a great job of getting the knowledge out there.

However, that may hurt the sport. Public perception is that track is dirty because guys get caught. Imagine a top lineman testing positive after the Conference Championships and NOT playing in the Super Bowl?