non O
I think the questions need to be asked of everyone who ran for that club in the early 80's , yes, just like we need to consider questioning the performances of AlSal's crew from 2007-13...
Bowerman TC has never been investigated by USADA, there have never been whistleblowers, or explosive suggestions (to my knowledge) about how the club or any of the athletes try to work around the rules (like TUEs or testing hormones, missing testing, etc.)
I'm not suspicious of Flanagan because she was national class in HS, best in the NCAA, and finally produced on the world stage working from 5k up to the marathon. Same with Deena. Both were tested heavily especially after their Olympic success. Joanie? When was she first tested? And for what?
She also never ran anything closely resembling a 2:21 at any other distance.
Her 5k best was 15:43
Her 10km best was 32:07
Even her half's were in 1:09 are still only good for 2:24 according to Daniels.
How many 2:21 runners do you know who can't break also 32? or 68?
Heck the US has five or six women now who run faster than those times and yet who can't touch 2:21.
Flanagan who had all the coaching and money and technology at her disposal ran 14:40/30:30 and 2:21. And Joanie in a pair of waffle flats training in Maine by herself in the early 80's somehow equaled that time accomplishment?
Americans romanticize Joanie's career because they don't want to think about it logically. Fact... The early 80's produced some dirty American runners, and those who got away with it have been elevated to idol status for their blue-collar work ethic. And Joanie "beating" the Europeans and Soviets rode that wave the rest of her career (which was essentially done after 1985). A world-beater from 1981-85, just like Slaney, just like AlSal.
I had a long conversation with Bob Sevene about ten years ago now. I wish I had recorded it. Someone should do an interview with him regarding Athletics West and the mentality of runners during that era, specifically how many runners in that club thought that to beat the Europeans and Soviets you had to "fight fire with fire." Joanie was a product of that time and thinking. and her results at her peak (83-85) are so far outside of her 78-82 results that it should be questioned. That disqualifies her from the GOAT discussion.