More and more people are More and more people are asking the question: is the US swimmer Michael Phelps doped?
Some people compare Phelps to Marion Jones. Both of them won many metals without being detected positive. Some claim this is because the US has the most advanced bio-technologies and drugs that can avoid being detected by equipements currently being used for the detection.
I’d like to know the opinions of people in this forum.
cr
August 15, 2008 @
10:23 AM
Just because it turned out Just because it turned out Jones doped doesn’t mean anyone else who wins Gold does.
The dude is a set of gills short of being a fish.
“Bowman could see that Phelps was born to swim. Blessed with a sinewy, whiplike body, a long torso and large hands and feet, plus a 6ft. 7in. arm span that extends 3 in. beyond his height (the usual ratio is 1 to 1), Phelps has as close to an ideal swimming body as you can get. Like other top swimmers, he doesn’t so much power through the water as slide along it, propelled by a vigorous dolphin kick that surges from his head to his toes in a high-amplitude wave.”
He is certainly beating He is certainly beating people who are doped. That, all the high profile busts, and all the world records in the last couple of decades makes me wonder if any top performer is clean.
PadreBrian
August 15, 2008 @
10:38 AM
He is tested every single He is tested every single day, backwards and forward…by China! They want him to fail.
blahblahblah
August 15, 2008 @
11:03 AM
If he were doping steroids he If he were doping steroids he would be physically much stronger. I read recently that he is weaker in the bench press and leg press than most of his teammates. He just outswims them thanks to a better work ethic, mental focus, and of course that weird body of his. The thing to remember about swimming is that no amount of physical strength or endurance will make you the fastest if your technique is not correct. His technique is simply the best and that comes only from hard work — you can’t get it in a bottle. Count his strokes, he takes fewer than everybody else. The water just slides over him while everyone else is obscured in chop and spray. Technically there has never been a swimmer like him.
Also, he’s not going to be winning the 50m or 1500m freestyle anytime soon, so it’s not like he’s better at everything. The events he’s competing in emphasize technique (butterfly), versatility (IMs) and a combination of strength and endurance (mid-distance 200m is his specialty). He could possibly have doped with EPO but with as much work as he’s put into this (as is obvious from his technique) that seems a pretty stupid thing to do, especially considering how good the tests are for that now.
NotCranky
August 15, 2008 @
11:18 AM
That is a good argument That is a good argument Concho. Going against my own suspicions… It is also true that people did have exceptional careers even before doping.
Coronita
August 15, 2008 @
10:22 AM
why is it when someone is so why is it when someone is so successful, people automatically thinks people are cheating? I don’t get it.
First it’s the chinese gymnastics team, now it’s Phelpes. Good lord.
There probably is technology to conceal things to a point, but until proven otherwise, i gotta give the benefit of the doubt.
I guess with society, that’s a general rule too. It even extends to personal success. Clearly if XYZ did well by YYY age, he/she clearly must have been cheating or had a handout,etc.
BGinRB
August 15, 2008 @
11:21 AM
Lack of volume is not a valid Lack of volume is not a valid argument:
…The reporter tells the doctor he’s seeking stem-cell treatment for one of his swimmers. “Yes. We have no experience with athletes here, but the treatment is safe and we can help you,” the doctor replies (his answer was translated by the news program). “It strengthens lung function and stem cells go into the bloodstream and reach the organs. It takes two weeks. I recommend four intravenous injections-40 million stem cells or double that, the more the better. We also use human growth hormones, but you have to be careful because they are on the doping list,” the Chinese doctor says…
DWCAP
August 15, 2008 @
11:21 AM
Wern’t you the guy who was Wern’t you the guy who was all over people for making accusations about the Chinese gymnasticics team cheating even though there was plenty of proof they were cheating? What about how you are innocent until proven guilty?
They have testing for a reason. If the guy tests clean, and you still can’t accept that because he has “too much” success, then that is your problem, not his.
Daniel
August 15, 2008 @
11:31 AM
He’s very likely clean. He’s very likely clean. However, the whole thing about him being the greatest athlete ever is a bit overblown, and it is more media hype than reality. He is obviously a very, very, very good swimmer, the best in the world today, but he is also in the right place at the right time, so to speak. Swimming is pretty much the only Olympic sport in which one can win a lot of medals, and new swimsuit technology has made everybody break world records left and right.
Oh, and about Mark Spitz’s record: they didn’t have the 50m freestyle back then. If they did, he would probably have won that, too.
Daniel
August 15, 2008 @
12:20 PM
To follow up on my previous To follow up on my previous post: in order for you to break the gold medal record, 3 things need to happen:
First, you need to be a great champion, head and shoulders above the rest (like Carl Lewis, Nadia Comaneci, Mark Spitz, Sergei Bubka, Michael Phelps, etc). There have been maybe three or four dozen great athletes like that in history.
The second requirement further narrows down the field: you need to be a swimmer. You could be the greatest pole vault jumper in the history of mankind, jumping 10 feet higher than anybody else, but you still won’t bring home more than a single medal.
Third condition is that you need to be part of a swimming powerhouse, preferably the US. You may swim faster than Phelps, but if your passport is Bulgarian, you’ll be out of luck in the relays.
Put all these together, and it’s no wonder that Spitz and Phelps are the top contenders for the medal count. It’s not doping, it’s just math.
BGinRB
August 15, 2008 @
12:37 PM
Would anyone change the poll Would anyone change the poll selection if it was a Russian or Chinese athlete?
paranoid
August 15, 2008 @
1:53 PM
Quote: Would anyone change [quote] Would anyone change the poll selection if it was a Russian or Chinese athlete? [/quote]
Amazing double standard even among people in this forum (I admit that people in this forum do much better than average americans).
Standard 1: innocent unless proven guilty: appliied mainly to americans.
Standard 2: guilty unless proven innocent: appliied to others (mainly the Chinese and Russians).
an
August 15, 2008 @
1:55 PM
BGinRB wrote:Would anyone [quote=BGinRB]Would anyone change the poll selection if it was a Russian or Chinese athlete? [/quote]
No.
sdduuuude
August 15, 2008 @
12:43 PM
They did a little blurb on They did a little blurb on the freak known as Michale Phelps a couple days ago.
He has size 14 feet.
Dinner-plate sized hands.
He’s double jointed in both his knees and upper body, which makes for longer strokes.
He has the torso length of someone 6’8″ tall.
He has the leg length of someone 6’0″ tall.
Better technology swimsuits may help world records, but not gold medals because everyone benefits from them.
I doubt he is doped and I hope he’s not doped, but you just never know. His face isn’t fat. That is usually a good sign of it.
Some guy won a bronze medaly with no swim cap on. He had hair, too. That was kind of cool.
LAAFTERHOURS
August 15, 2008 @
1:15 PM
I doubt it very much. I know I doubt it very much. I know his sister and when her back ruined her career, Michael was on a mission. The kid is a machine, he eats sleeps and swims – surprised he doesnt sleep in the pool.
Another thought – look at what he did in his first olympics. He didnt win everything then and has constantly gotten better. I know there has been mention of better suits (less resistance etc) so I assume this has helped. But he wasnt doping then, what’s to say he is now? Hes in his prime and he wasnt lifting back then. Hes been lifting for the past few years, therefore hes stronger than he was in the previous olympics.
LAAFTERHOURS
August 15, 2008 @
1:18 PM
Did paranoid start the Did paranoid start the threads on the chinese cheating too?
DWCAP
August 15, 2008 @
3:22 PM
LA- no FLU started the China LA- no FLU started the China thread.
Paranoid, I still have not seen anyone say that they would change their mind due to nationality. I wouldnt. I dont know where you are getting that, but I think it is alittle sad to see you throw accusations like that around with no evidence or even a reasonable hunch, other than “he is winning too much!” The man is half fish, he can swim and has the desire to do so.
Hell your accusing us of some sort of nationalityism where everything we do is ok, but everything anyone else we dont like does isn’t. This is just an example of a diversionary ploy people use to displace guilt/blame without admitting doing anything wrong. “well, you did X so who cares if I did Y”. That arugment doesnt make Y anymore legit, but it does confuse and befuddel the original charge so as to desend everyone into bickering and infighting. This way, not one gets punished for anything cause everyone is guilty of something, even if that something has nothing to do with the original charges.
China should be investigated for cheating, and if Phelps tests possitive, he shuold loose it all. But even if he tests possitive or not, that doesnt change the fact China should be investigated for breaking an IOC rule everyone else seems to have been able to follow.
That isnt to say I am not getting sick of the “phelps olympic games” coverage. (I dont care what the man eats for breakfast, this isnt news!)
LAAFTERHOURS
August 15, 2008 @
3:51 PM
DWCAP wrote:LA- no FLU [quote=DWCAP]LA- no FLU started the China thread.
That isnt to say I am not getting sick of the “phelps olympic games” coverage. (I dont care what the man eats for breakfast, this isnt news!) [/quote]
This is why our media sucks – they pry into personal life too much.
PadreBrian
August 15, 2008 @
3:53 PM
I too suspect “Paranoid” is I too suspect “Paranoid” is being trollish.
The fact remains the Chinese Olympic committee test Phelps EVERY SINGLE DAY. Clean as a whistle. Period.
paranoid
August 15, 2008 @
4:14 PM
PadreBrian:
Quote: The fact PadreBrian:
[quote] The fact remains the Chinese Olympic committee test Phelps EVERY SINGLE DAY. Clean as a whistle. [/quote]
Are you sure? do you really think that the chinese has that right? Do you think the americans allow the chinese to do that?
Only the IOC has that right, not the chinese. Do you see how biased you are?
an
August 15, 2008 @
4:21 PM
paranoid wrote:
Are you sure? [quote=paranoid]
Are you sure? do you really think that the chinese has that right? Do you think the americans allow the chinese to do that?
Only the IOC has that right, not the chinese. Do you see how biased you are?[/quote] Linky
Based on this link, he is taking part in “Project Believe,” a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency volunteer initiative where athletes provide additional testing that is more frequent and more sophisticated than the usual regime of tests.
paranoid
August 15, 2008 @
4:49 PM
From AN’s link:
Quote: Phelps From AN’s link:
[quote] Phelps emphatically denies doping allegations American swimmer says he has the results to prove he’s clean
By NBCOlympics.com staff report
Posted Friday, August 15, 2008 10:50 AM ET
In six events, Michael Phelps has set six world records en route to earning six gold medals.
The American swimmer’s superhuman performance has amazed many, but given the number of athletes who recently have been linked to doping, questions about how Phelps has produced such fast times are inevitable
Following his win in the 200m IM, Phelps emphatically denied using any performance-enhancing drugs.
“Anybody can say whatever they want, but I know I’m clean,” Phelps said. “People can question it all they want, but the facts are the facts. I have the results to prove it.”
He is taking part in “Project Believe,” a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency volunteer initiative where athletes provide additional testing that is more frequent and more sophisticated than the usual regime of tests.
Phelps can tie Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven gold medals at a single Olympic Games when he takes to the pool for the 100m butterfly on Day 8 in Beijing. His biggest rival in the event may be his teammate, Ian Crocker, who has held the world record in the event for more than three years.
After that event, he just has one more race — a relay — scheduled. If everything goes according to his plan, he will earn his record eighth gold medal in Beijing. [/quote]
PadreBrian: do you still think that I’m trollish? do you know what SHAMEless means?
PadreBrian
August 16, 2008 @
11:51 PM
Grats to Phelps, and to the Grats to Phelps, and to the USA. Every single one of us here. Yes you.
betting on fall
August 15, 2008 @
8:08 PM
I used to swim at a pretty I used to swim at a pretty high level, so I think I speak with some authority. The answer is no, because:
1. He was great as a kid. He is great everytime he swims during the year. Dopers come out of no where and avoid competition except the big events.
2. He has improved pretty much equally over several years. Dopers make sudden dramatic, one-time improvements.
3. He trains with lots of great swimmers at U of Michigan. Dopers tend to train in lower profile locations with lesser known coaches. If there was any “dirt” on Phelps, one of the 30/40 people who swim with him every day would spill it. Or a competitor jealous of him would hear a rumor and pass it along.
4. None of his teammates fit the profile of dopers, nor failed tests. If any of his teammates failed- and I bet they have cumulatively been tested several hundred times- then I’d be a little suspicious.
sdduuuude
August 18, 2008 @
8:31 AM
betting on fall wrote:Dopers [quote=betting on fall]Dopers come out of no where and avoid competition except the big events. [/quote]
Usain Bolt comes to mind.
Anonymous
August 16, 2008 @
9:37 AM
Personally as an athlete I do Personally as an athlete I do believe that Phelps is doping. I don’t believe that it has anything to do with speculating him because he wins a gold medal, because yes that is possible. But what I do not believe is possible is to win 6 medals as a 19yr old and then 7 gold, all new world records as a 23yr old. Being an athlete, and understanding the training and going through it myself. I just think that it is physically impossible without the help of any substances, to last so many years on top and be beyond great. It’s just mind bubbling, I believe that the body can only sustain so much and to be that great and take so much pressure in over 8yr is crazy. I’m no scientist but hey just think about it and what your body is able to take and not take:)I believe he is a good athlete, but people do stupid things to be and stay at the top and I think he’s one of them.
Anonymous
August 16, 2008 @
9:37 AM
Personally as an athlete I do Personally as an athlete I do believe that Phelps is doping. I don’t believe that it has anything to do with speculating him because he wins a gold medal, because yes that is possible. But what I do not believe is possible is to win 6 medals as a 19yr old and then 7 gold, all new world records as a 23yr old. Being an athlete, and understanding the training and going through it myself. I just think that it is physically impossible without the help of any substances, to last so many years on top and be beyond great. It’s just mind bubbling, I believe that the body can only sustain so much and to be that great and take so much pressure in over 8yr is crazy. I’m no scientist but hey just think about it and what your body is able to take and not take:)I believe he is a good athlete, but people do stupid things to be and stay at the top and I think he’s one of them.
Anonymous
August 18, 2008 @
7:46 AM
But what I do not believe is But what I do not believe is possible is to win 6 medals as a 19yr old and then 7 gold, all new world records as a 23yr old.
Men physically peak around the 25 yr mark, so I would certainly expect a male swimmer to be stronger at 23 than at 19. He also has a body that it built perfectly for swimming, the guy’s practically got flippers for hands and feet and the way he swims underwater is unprecedented.
TheBreeze
August 17, 2008 @
10:54 PM
I’ve got to wonder if the I’ve got to wonder if the lack of doping is hurting the U.S.’s track and fielders. In the past we always had at least one athlete who would be a gold medal threat in the 100m and 200m. This year, it seems like our men’s and women’s sprinters are not even really competitive.
Back to the original question, what kind of dope would Phelps be on? Blood doping maybe? Amphetimines? I tend to think that most high-level athletes are on something, but swimming may be one of those rare events where having a freaky body and perfect technique can carry the day. Spitz did practically the same thing as Phelps (7 golds, all world records) back in ’72. Of course, this wikipedia article talks about doping going back to the start of the Tour de France (1903), so maybe Spitz was doping too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_at_the_Tour_de_France
Phelps may or may not be doping, but I think our track and fielders have to get back to doping if they want to be competitive.
paranoid
February 1, 2009 @
11:00 PM
phelps the doped: i told you
[img_assist|nid=10194|title=phelps the doped|desc=i told you so judge by yourself|link=node|align=left|width=75|height=100]
afx114
February 1, 2009 @
11:49 PM
Since when is weed a Since when is weed a performance enhancing drug? If anything, it should make Phelps fat and lazy and eat lots of Cheetos and diminish his lung capacity.
blahblahblah
February 2, 2009 @
7:32 AM
Hahaha this reminds me of the Hahaha this reminds me of the little-known fact that drug testing in the NBA deliberately excludes testing for marijuana. Apparently they would lose 75% of the league if they did.
sdduuuude
February 2, 2009 @
7:57 AM
OH, My GOD ! An American OH, My GOD ! An American youth smoking pot. I just can’t believe it.
You said he was doped, not on dope.
patientlywaiting
February 2, 2009 @
10:27 AM
We should legalize drugs. We should legalize drugs. People do it anyway, so why not tax it and make it safer?
anxvariety
February 2, 2009 @
2:16 PM
patientlywaiting wrote:We [quote=patientlywaiting]We should legalize drugs. People do it anyway, so why not tax it and make it safer?
[/quote]
Stop now, that makes too much sense.
paranoid
February 2, 2009 @
3:44 PM
bye-bye London bye-bye London
h82rent
February 2, 2009 @
12:24 PM
I guess taxing it would help I guess taxing it would help pay for the $1.5 trillion worth of bailouts.
But then again, it would probably become a commodity, and with poor price controls, the cost would become ridiculously high (no pun intended). The next bubble would be in weed. Nice.
Unless the government subsidizes it, and maybe turns it into a biofuel. I wonder what the exhaust would do to the general population?
August 15, 2008 @ 10:01 AM
More and more people are
More and more people are asking the question: is the US swimmer Michael Phelps doped?
Some people compare Phelps to Marion Jones. Both of them won many metals without being detected positive. Some claim this is because the US has the most advanced bio-technologies and drugs that can avoid being detected by equipements currently being used for the detection.
I’d like to know the opinions of people in this forum.
August 15, 2008 @ 10:23 AM
Just because it turned out
Just because it turned out Jones doped doesn’t mean anyone else who wins Gold does.
The dude is a set of gills short of being a fish.
“Bowman could see that Phelps was born to swim. Blessed with a sinewy, whiplike body, a long torso and large hands and feet, plus a 6ft. 7in. arm span that extends 3 in. beyond his height (the usual ratio is 1 to 1), Phelps has as close to an ideal swimming body as you can get. Like other top swimmers, he doesn’t so much power through the water as slide along it, propelled by a vigorous dolphin kick that surges from his head to his toes in a high-amplitude wave.”
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,994817,00.html
August 15, 2008 @ 10:31 AM
He is certainly beating
He is certainly beating people who are doped. That, all the high profile busts, and all the world records in the last couple of decades makes me wonder if any top performer is clean.
August 15, 2008 @ 10:38 AM
He is tested every single
He is tested every single day, backwards and forward…by China! They want him to fail.
August 15, 2008 @ 11:03 AM
If he were doping steroids he
If he were doping steroids he would be physically much stronger. I read recently that he is weaker in the bench press and leg press than most of his teammates. He just outswims them thanks to a better work ethic, mental focus, and of course that weird body of his. The thing to remember about swimming is that no amount of physical strength or endurance will make you the fastest if your technique is not correct. His technique is simply the best and that comes only from hard work — you can’t get it in a bottle. Count his strokes, he takes fewer than everybody else. The water just slides over him while everyone else is obscured in chop and spray. Technically there has never been a swimmer like him.
Also, he’s not going to be winning the 50m or 1500m freestyle anytime soon, so it’s not like he’s better at everything. The events he’s competing in emphasize technique (butterfly), versatility (IMs) and a combination of strength and endurance (mid-distance 200m is his specialty). He could possibly have doped with EPO but with as much work as he’s put into this (as is obvious from his technique) that seems a pretty stupid thing to do, especially considering how good the tests are for that now.
August 15, 2008 @ 11:18 AM
That is a good argument
That is a good argument Concho. Going against my own suspicions… It is also true that people did have exceptional careers even before doping.
August 15, 2008 @ 10:22 AM
why is it when someone is so
why is it when someone is so successful, people automatically thinks people are cheating? I don’t get it.
First it’s the chinese gymnastics team, now it’s Phelpes. Good lord.
There probably is technology to conceal things to a point, but until proven otherwise, i gotta give the benefit of the doubt.
I guess with society, that’s a general rule too. It even extends to personal success. Clearly if XYZ did well by YYY age, he/she clearly must have been cheating or had a handout,etc.
August 15, 2008 @ 11:21 AM
Lack of volume is not a valid
Lack of volume is not a valid argument:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/151988
August 15, 2008 @ 11:21 AM
Wern’t you the guy who was
Wern’t you the guy who was all over people for making accusations about the Chinese gymnasticics team cheating even though there was plenty of proof they were cheating? What about how you are innocent until proven guilty?
They have testing for a reason. If the guy tests clean, and you still can’t accept that because he has “too much” success, then that is your problem, not his.
August 15, 2008 @ 11:31 AM
He’s very likely clean.
He’s very likely clean. However, the whole thing about him being the greatest athlete ever is a bit overblown, and it is more media hype than reality. He is obviously a very, very, very good swimmer, the best in the world today, but he is also in the right place at the right time, so to speak. Swimming is pretty much the only Olympic sport in which one can win a lot of medals, and new swimsuit technology has made everybody break world records left and right.
See this:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-olygreatest15-2008aug15,0,6214465.story
Oh, and about Mark Spitz’s record: they didn’t have the 50m freestyle back then. If they did, he would probably have won that, too.
August 15, 2008 @ 12:20 PM
To follow up on my previous
To follow up on my previous post: in order for you to break the gold medal record, 3 things need to happen:
First, you need to be a great champion, head and shoulders above the rest (like Carl Lewis, Nadia Comaneci, Mark Spitz, Sergei Bubka, Michael Phelps, etc). There have been maybe three or four dozen great athletes like that in history.
The second requirement further narrows down the field: you need to be a swimmer. You could be the greatest pole vault jumper in the history of mankind, jumping 10 feet higher than anybody else, but you still won’t bring home more than a single medal.
Third condition is that you need to be part of a swimming powerhouse, preferably the US. You may swim faster than Phelps, but if your passport is Bulgarian, you’ll be out of luck in the relays.
Put all these together, and it’s no wonder that Spitz and Phelps are the top contenders for the medal count. It’s not doping, it’s just math.
August 15, 2008 @ 12:37 PM
Would anyone change the poll
Would anyone change the poll selection if it was a Russian or Chinese athlete?
August 15, 2008 @ 1:53 PM
Quote: Would anyone change
[quote] Would anyone change the poll selection if it was a Russian or Chinese athlete? [/quote]
Amazing double standard even among people in this forum (I admit that people in this forum do much better than average americans).
Standard 1: innocent unless proven guilty: appliied mainly to americans.
Standard 2: guilty unless proven innocent: appliied to others (mainly the Chinese and Russians).
August 15, 2008 @ 1:55 PM
BGinRB wrote:Would anyone
[quote=BGinRB]Would anyone change the poll selection if it was a Russian or Chinese athlete? [/quote]
No.
August 15, 2008 @ 12:43 PM
They did a little blurb on
They did a little blurb on the freak known as Michale Phelps a couple days ago.
He has size 14 feet.
Dinner-plate sized hands.
He’s double jointed in both his knees and upper body, which makes for longer strokes.
He has the torso length of someone 6’8″ tall.
He has the leg length of someone 6’0″ tall.
Better technology swimsuits may help world records, but not gold medals because everyone benefits from them.
I doubt he is doped and I hope he’s not doped, but you just never know. His face isn’t fat. That is usually a good sign of it.
Some guy won a bronze medaly with no swim cap on. He had hair, too. That was kind of cool.
August 15, 2008 @ 1:15 PM
I doubt it very much. I know
I doubt it very much. I know his sister and when her back ruined her career, Michael was on a mission. The kid is a machine, he eats sleeps and swims – surprised he doesnt sleep in the pool.
Another thought – look at what he did in his first olympics. He didnt win everything then and has constantly gotten better. I know there has been mention of better suits (less resistance etc) so I assume this has helped. But he wasnt doping then, what’s to say he is now? Hes in his prime and he wasnt lifting back then. Hes been lifting for the past few years, therefore hes stronger than he was in the previous olympics.
August 15, 2008 @ 1:18 PM
Did paranoid start the
Did paranoid start the threads on the chinese cheating too?
August 15, 2008 @ 3:22 PM
LA- no FLU started the China
LA- no FLU started the China thread.
Paranoid, I still have not seen anyone say that they would change their mind due to nationality. I wouldnt. I dont know where you are getting that, but I think it is alittle sad to see you throw accusations like that around with no evidence or even a reasonable hunch, other than “he is winning too much!” The man is half fish, he can swim and has the desire to do so.
Hell your accusing us of some sort of nationalityism where everything we do is ok, but everything anyone else we dont like does isn’t. This is just an example of a diversionary ploy people use to displace guilt/blame without admitting doing anything wrong. “well, you did X so who cares if I did Y”. That arugment doesnt make Y anymore legit, but it does confuse and befuddel the original charge so as to desend everyone into bickering and infighting. This way, not one gets punished for anything cause everyone is guilty of something, even if that something has nothing to do with the original charges.
China should be investigated for cheating, and if Phelps tests possitive, he shuold loose it all. But even if he tests possitive or not, that doesnt change the fact China should be investigated for breaking an IOC rule everyone else seems to have been able to follow.
That isnt to say I am not getting sick of the “phelps olympic games” coverage. (I dont care what the man eats for breakfast, this isnt news!)
August 15, 2008 @ 3:51 PM
DWCAP wrote:LA- no FLU
[quote=DWCAP]LA- no FLU started the China thread.
That isnt to say I am not getting sick of the “phelps olympic games” coverage. (I dont care what the man eats for breakfast, this isnt news!) [/quote]
This is why our media sucks – they pry into personal life too much.
August 15, 2008 @ 3:53 PM
I too suspect “Paranoid” is
I too suspect “Paranoid” is being trollish.
The fact remains the Chinese Olympic committee test Phelps EVERY SINGLE DAY. Clean as a whistle. Period.
August 15, 2008 @ 4:14 PM
PadreBrian:
Quote: The fact
PadreBrian:
[quote] The fact remains the Chinese Olympic committee test Phelps EVERY SINGLE DAY. Clean as a whistle. [/quote]
Are you sure? do you really think that the chinese has that right? Do you think the americans allow the chinese to do that?
Only the IOC has that right, not the chinese. Do you see how biased you are?
August 15, 2008 @ 4:21 PM
paranoid wrote:
Are you sure?
[quote=paranoid]
Are you sure? do you really think that the chinese has that right? Do you think the americans allow the chinese to do that?
Only the IOC has that right, not the chinese. Do you see how biased you are?[/quote]
Linky
Based on this link, he is taking part in “Project Believe,” a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency volunteer initiative where athletes provide additional testing that is more frequent and more sophisticated than the usual regime of tests.
August 15, 2008 @ 4:49 PM
From AN’s link:
Quote: Phelps
From AN’s link:
[quote] Phelps emphatically denies doping allegations American swimmer says he has the results to prove he’s clean
By NBCOlympics.com staff report
Posted Friday, August 15, 2008 10:50 AM ET
In six events, Michael Phelps has set six world records en route to earning six gold medals.
The American swimmer’s superhuman performance has amazed many, but given the number of athletes who recently have been linked to doping, questions about how Phelps has produced such fast times are inevitable
Following his win in the 200m IM, Phelps emphatically denied using any performance-enhancing drugs.
“Anybody can say whatever they want, but I know I’m clean,” Phelps said. “People can question it all they want, but the facts are the facts. I have the results to prove it.”
He is taking part in “Project Believe,” a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency volunteer initiative where athletes provide additional testing that is more frequent and more sophisticated than the usual regime of tests.
Phelps can tie Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven gold medals at a single Olympic Games when he takes to the pool for the 100m butterfly on Day 8 in Beijing. His biggest rival in the event may be his teammate, Ian Crocker, who has held the world record in the event for more than three years.
After that event, he just has one more race — a relay — scheduled. If everything goes according to his plan, he will earn his record eighth gold medal in Beijing. [/quote]
PadreBrian: do you still think that I’m trollish? do you know what SHAMEless means?
August 16, 2008 @ 11:51 PM
Grats to Phelps, and to the
Grats to Phelps, and to the USA. Every single one of us here. Yes you.
August 15, 2008 @ 8:08 PM
I used to swim at a pretty
I used to swim at a pretty high level, so I think I speak with some authority. The answer is no, because:
1. He was great as a kid. He is great everytime he swims during the year. Dopers come out of no where and avoid competition except the big events.
2. He has improved pretty much equally over several years. Dopers make sudden dramatic, one-time improvements.
3. He trains with lots of great swimmers at U of Michigan. Dopers tend to train in lower profile locations with lesser known coaches. If there was any “dirt” on Phelps, one of the 30/40 people who swim with him every day would spill it. Or a competitor jealous of him would hear a rumor and pass it along.
4. None of his teammates fit the profile of dopers, nor failed tests. If any of his teammates failed- and I bet they have cumulatively been tested several hundred times- then I’d be a little suspicious.
August 18, 2008 @ 8:31 AM
betting on fall wrote:Dopers
[quote=betting on fall]Dopers come out of no where and avoid competition except the big events. [/quote]
Usain Bolt comes to mind.
August 16, 2008 @ 9:37 AM
Personally as an athlete I do
Personally as an athlete I do believe that Phelps is doping. I don’t believe that it has anything to do with speculating him because he wins a gold medal, because yes that is possible. But what I do not believe is possible is to win 6 medals as a 19yr old and then 7 gold, all new world records as a 23yr old. Being an athlete, and understanding the training and going through it myself. I just think that it is physically impossible without the help of any substances, to last so many years on top and be beyond great. It’s just mind bubbling, I believe that the body can only sustain so much and to be that great and take so much pressure in over 8yr is crazy. I’m no scientist but hey just think about it and what your body is able to take and not take:)I believe he is a good athlete, but people do stupid things to be and stay at the top and I think he’s one of them.
August 16, 2008 @ 9:37 AM
Personally as an athlete I do
Personally as an athlete I do believe that Phelps is doping. I don’t believe that it has anything to do with speculating him because he wins a gold medal, because yes that is possible. But what I do not believe is possible is to win 6 medals as a 19yr old and then 7 gold, all new world records as a 23yr old. Being an athlete, and understanding the training and going through it myself. I just think that it is physically impossible without the help of any substances, to last so many years on top and be beyond great. It’s just mind bubbling, I believe that the body can only sustain so much and to be that great and take so much pressure in over 8yr is crazy. I’m no scientist but hey just think about it and what your body is able to take and not take:)I believe he is a good athlete, but people do stupid things to be and stay at the top and I think he’s one of them.
August 18, 2008 @ 7:46 AM
But what I do not believe is
But what I do not believe is possible is to win 6 medals as a 19yr old and then 7 gold, all new world records as a 23yr old.
Men physically peak around the 25 yr mark, so I would certainly expect a male swimmer to be stronger at 23 than at 19. He also has a body that it built perfectly for swimming, the guy’s practically got flippers for hands and feet and the way he swims underwater is unprecedented.
August 17, 2008 @ 10:54 PM
I’ve got to wonder if the
I’ve got to wonder if the lack of doping is hurting the U.S.’s track and fielders. In the past we always had at least one athlete who would be a gold medal threat in the 100m and 200m. This year, it seems like our men’s and women’s sprinters are not even really competitive.
Back to the original question, what kind of dope would Phelps be on? Blood doping maybe? Amphetimines? I tend to think that most high-level athletes are on something, but swimming may be one of those rare events where having a freaky body and perfect technique can carry the day. Spitz did practically the same thing as Phelps (7 golds, all world records) back in ’72. Of course, this wikipedia article talks about doping going back to the start of the Tour de France (1903), so maybe Spitz was doping too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_at_the_Tour_de_France
Phelps may or may not be doping, but I think our track and fielders have to get back to doping if they want to be competitive.
February 1, 2009 @ 11:00 PM
phelps the doped: i told you
[img_assist|nid=10194|title=phelps the doped|desc=i told you so judge by yourself|link=node|align=left|width=75|height=100]
February 1, 2009 @ 11:49 PM
Since when is weed a
Since when is weed a performance enhancing drug? If anything, it should make Phelps fat and lazy and eat lots of Cheetos and diminish his lung capacity.
February 2, 2009 @ 7:32 AM
Hahaha this reminds me of the
Hahaha this reminds me of the little-known fact that drug testing in the NBA deliberately excludes testing for marijuana. Apparently they would lose 75% of the league if they did.
February 2, 2009 @ 7:57 AM
OH, My GOD ! An American
OH, My GOD ! An American youth smoking pot. I just can’t believe it.
You said he was doped, not on dope.
February 2, 2009 @ 10:27 AM
We should legalize drugs.
We should legalize drugs. People do it anyway, so why not tax it and make it safer?
February 2, 2009 @ 2:16 PM
patientlywaiting wrote:We
[quote=patientlywaiting]We should legalize drugs. People do it anyway, so why not tax it and make it safer?
[/quote]
Stop now, that makes too much sense.
February 2, 2009 @ 3:44 PM
bye-bye London
bye-bye London
February 2, 2009 @ 12:24 PM
I guess taxing it would help
I guess taxing it would help pay for the $1.5 trillion worth of bailouts.
But then again, it would probably become a commodity, and with poor price controls, the cost would become ridiculously high (no pun intended). The next bubble would be in weed. Nice.
Unless the government subsidizes it, and maybe turns it into a biofuel. I wonder what the exhaust would do to the general population?
I guess it’s better than drinking the kool-aid.