Gay got a pass because he's a Nike sponsored athlete coached by Salazar.
Gay got a pass because he's a Nike sponsored athlete coached by Salazar.
He didn't obstruct anyone. Gay rules. Clean world record holder.
I love how someone posted the rules, and still nobody bothers to read them before posting here. If he ran on the inside of the lane, he gained an advantage. That is assumed... gaining an advantage is only even considered if you run on the outside of the lane on a curve, or run out of your lane on a straight. It is also irrelevant whether or not he obstructed anyone.
Here's a thought. Why don't they dq some of those clowns he was running against? Really,that level of sucktitude should
be fround upon.lol
This ^.
If you are clearly beat, then stepping on the line makes no advantage. Protesting is petty.
I'm sure I've seen Bolt step on the line in one of his medal/wr races. Might have been the 9.69.
Reminds me of the 2008 OG 200m, when the US protest screwed Martina and Spearmon to gain 2 US medals instead of 1. That's integrity for ya. At least Crawford (!) gave Martina the Silver, but now he doesn't feel like he deserves it! And with a better start in the 100m, he could have gotten a medal there too! But came 4th to Dix, Thompson! But looking at Dix's injuries since, maybe it's good for him that he got OG medals at his peak in 2008. Lucky that Gay was missing there, too.
Considering all the times ahead of her are Eastern Bloc 1980's, I'd assume I'm correct with this stance.
I'll admit I hadn't heard of Rollins before today, but I see she is 21 so I assume is in the American College system or something. To my eyes she at least looks womanly in pics, which is a circumstantial evidence indicator (and test of your own sexuality, appropriate in a Gay thread..)
But this is the US we are talking about, so I assume there will always be some dirty athletes in it for the money. Here in the UK, there's barely any money and if you are caught doping you are basically ostracised from athletics (although the rest of the world/international sports courts have ruled the BOA's Olympic life ban for dopers is 'a step too far', while reducing drugs bans to 2 years, but at least things are looking up with biological passports and what appears to be cleaner athletics).
The Gay Rights lobby is pretty vocal and shrill. USATF didn't want to get on the wrong side of those people.
Gay should have been DQ'd according to the rules. That is pretty clear. However, he won his semi by a large enough margin that common sense will tell you he would have won that section comfortably whether he stepped on the line or not. Tyson was clearly the best 200m runner at the meet, and he's probably the only American medal contender at 200m in Moscow.
I definitely understand that he was the best runner there, and definitely our only medal contender in Moscow.
However, the rule does say that stepping on the inside of the lane gives one an advantage. Whether or not he needed that advantage at all (which he clearly didn't) shouldn't be taken into consideration.
I may be biased since I want to see Gay do well, but I looked at a youtube video and the from the angle I saw it was questionable, not clear cut.
He was near it, but I couldn't see if it was on it, and for three steps.
wr potential wrote:
Well, if they DQ'd Rollins in Round 1, we wouldn't have seen the likely clean 100m Hurdles WR in the final....
Eastern Bloc female hurdlers doped to the gills for those 12.2x and you think that Rollins is doing 12.2x "likely clean"?
/\
I laughed...
Letter of the law, he should have been DQ'd, but they don't want that to happen (nor do most of us).
One year at USAs, maybe in 2005, Gatlin false started in the 100 prelim and was DQ'd only to be let back in a few minutes later when they announced "there was a error in our blocks' timing system."
Of course Gatlin went on to make the team.
if they did dq him, the U.S. would likely win no medal in the event. Is that what the trials are all about? He was .3 clear in that heat of 2nd place anyway, so he certainly didn't qualify through that advantage. but watch out at world's!
Theres no provision that discusses how the advantage affected the race. That is irrelevant. Agreed that we're trying to send our best athletes to Moscow, but this is a national championship meet, and the rules need to be enforced no matter who violates them
If he steps in, then steps back out, wouldn't the shifting to the right negate any advantage he gained? It takes extra distance to run back into your lane.
If he realized it and shifted back, it would negate any "advantage" he got.
What I'm saying is that if I'm right, he still ran the same distance.
Sure, he may have touched the line, but he didn't keep touching it for the remainder of the curve. He eventually shifted right. That shift alone would have been enough to negate any advantage he gained by barely touching the line.
Though I agree rules are rules. I'm saying even if he technically broke the rules, realistically he didn't cut the distance.
Probably because his foot was "mostly" in the lane (just partially on/over the line several times), and because the judge could claim he didn't observe this non-material violation in a heat. There being no provision for mandatory instant replay, this whole discussion is moot.
If you don't follow the rules change them or don't have them. This is rediculous.
1. I saw Gay step on the line repeatedly. 2. I saw an official raise his flag and a conversation was had with paperwork being filled out. 3. I thought it was a done deal for him to be DQ'd but read the results later and it was as if nothing happened. 4. I was ok with that. 5. What kind of crap do you think happens in the rest of the world? Let's give our best the benefit of the doubt to have a chance to represent all of us in the world championships. 6. We could go back to appointing our team instead of head to head competition. Would you like that system better? Maybe compete for 2 spots and appoint the 3rd like the Brits do. I'd be ok with that too. 7. I think they should DQ all of the men's 5k, man's and women's 1500 for Honest Effort rule.