Renato Canova wrote:
I don't use to be diplomatic. I Always use to say exactly what I think (otherwise I don't answer to any question).
I never said Chinese 1993 were clean or not. I explained the reasons at the base of their explosion, and the reasons were essentially an incredible motivation, with the dream to become important persons in the history of China (not only in the sport), being the main "motor" for having Olympic Games in 2000. Their training was unbelievable, we speak about 280 km per week with inside a lot of intensity. Everybody thinks that, without doping, it was not possible to sustain that trend. May be yes, may be not, but there are no prooves about this.
Some idiot supposes the track was short : but the 3rd chinese athlete in 10000m was lapped and ran slower than 31'. may be there were two different tracks, one for Wang Junxia and another for the other competitors...
You continue to look at doping in obsessive way, because this is what you think, and this is what you think because the general idea is that without dping is not possible running so fast. Instead, I know it's possible, if an athlete as Shaheen ALWAYS REFUSED TO GET ANY SUPPLEMENT (also legal), and is still the WR holder.
People not having any direct relation with the best runners in the world, can't have the exact perception of the current human limits "clean".
The big improvement of American runners is due to a change of mentality : instead crying that all African are doped, finally started to train with more professionalism, intensity and volume. This didn't happen, still, for Marathon, where american training is very fasr from the methodology of the best african runners.
Mentality, not doping, is at the base of everything.
Now I have to face this problem in China, where athletes (for the system existing in the Country, based on the activity in the Provinces, not interested in international activity, but with the onky interest to finalize everything to National Games every 4 years only) are not motivated to try to improve their personal bests. Last week there was a big meeting in Kunshan, with athletes from every Province, and the times of the winners were 2:09.40 in 800m (85 runners), 4:23 in 1500m (79 runners), 16:41 in 5000m (59 runners), 34:04 in 10000m (42 runners), 10:03 in steeple (only 10 runners), and I don't want to speak about men.
Do you think that a Country with 1,300 millions of people can produce results like these ? And this is the same Country of the WR holders in 1993.
And, at that level, it's not a problem of knowledge of training, it's only a problem of AMBIENCE, INTEREST and MOTIVATION. All situations that are at the top level in Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia), also if there is still possible to improve very much under methodological point of view.
About another question, no, I don't think the doping control has to quit. I think they need to be implemented. But I refuse the position of the "salesmen" of antidoping, speaking for creating a negative image about doping everywhere, also if it's not true.
This is exactly what happens in Kenya. Yes, there is doping, because some doctor / pharmacist (nothing to do with the world of athletics) looks at athletes of medium level for giving illegal supplements in change of 15% of their income, the same percentage due to a manager. The most part of these athletes don't have any manager, many of them don't have education, many are cheated, and the cheaters (who are Kenyan, not foreigner managers or coaches) continue their action without any sanction.
Bit this doesn't regard all the best runners, because their managements are professional and able to teach them what they can do and what is illegal. On my side, in order to avoid any problem (when an athlete is on the border between what is legal and what is not legal, see US and Jamaican sprinters, it's easy to go in the wrong side, also without wanting), I tell to my athletes NOT TO GET ANYTHING, apart maltodextrines during long and fast run.
And, in this way, I have some WR holder and continue to develop athletes at top level, completely clean.
Believe me, mentality and motivation are the winning factors in middle and long distances, not doping.
A good coach "is the doping" for his athletes, when is able to make in their mind normal what before was difficult, and possible what before was impossible. Human limits are very much more far than the current records, for clean talents, in every part of the world.