Justin Gatlin - what character!

Wow, Gatlin just won the 100m and even though I wasn't a fan as such I must say it feels great that he managed to slap the Bolt worshipping pundits, fans, media and general sycophants right at the point where their nauseating deification of Bolt was reaching a crescendo.

Who should come out of the shadows? The big bad villain - Justin Gatlin. 

Just brilliant. 

The BBC are so butt hurt that they're basically talking about anything but the winner. LMFAO. JG was booed throughout the championships, in fact, booed at every championship for the last however many years and yet he had the fortitude and strength of character to come through all that and emerge the winner.



Emancipator

I don't dislike Bolt - he's an amazing athlete - but I think the number of documentaries and all the stuff about how charismatic he is etc is just way OTT - he runs in a straight line for a maximum of 20 secs for God's sake.

Yep..but to me all cheats!

Exactly.. Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake (I didn't hear any boos for him btw, just massive cheers) and a host of other Jamaican athletes have tested positive, but for some reason the press wants to create this villain in Gatlin. 

Athletics is riddled with PEDS - every 100m winner over the last 30 years has tested positive as far as I'm aware. The only exceptions I think are Donovan Bailey and Usain Bolt. Somehow I find it hard to believe that they weren't on the juice at some point too. 

There have been so many documentaries and short films, interviews etc about Bolt and yet I don't think I've ever seen a BBC documentary about Federer who, imo, is a greater sportsman by a considerable distance.

Gatlin did his time and suffered for it. 

Bolt gets praised like he's cured every disease in the world. Happy someone else won.

Bolt is in love with himself.  His life's dream is to create another of himself so he can make love to it.  It's pathetic. He isn't a nice guy - he's a vain narcissist. Yay... he can run 100m faster than anyone else (once upon a time) because he has very long legs and has a massive advantage before he does any work at all.  Errr yeah, no thanks.  It would be like tennis being entirely serve driven, watching Dr Ivo clean up 20 slams, and everyone fawning over his "immense talent".

What I laugh at most is how his showboating cost him an even better 100m time... one that may have stood for much longer than his final best.  I hope he's still around when it gets beaten - because all his trophies and wins will mean sod all when that record falls. People have short memories and are very quick to jump on the next best thing - which they will win that time is beaten.  Then Bolt will be crying himself to sleep wondering why he didn't put his all into it when he had the chance.

At least age has finally put an end to this tiresome lovefest,. 

Sadly, the person who beat him this time is possibly a cheat (there is doubt if you look up the story and full details, but to be banned twice isn't smart). But let's not kid ourselves, the media have poisoned people against Americans in general - and brainwashed them into a love affair with Bolt. That was the real reason for the boos.  They cheer Higgins in snooker like a god.

Gatlin's results must raise tough questions for you Daniel. In short : "clean" 33yo beats his doped 24yo self.

What character?

Guy tested positive twice in his career for doping!!

As much as I am not aboard the Bolt love train, I won't delight in his defeat at the hands of a doper!

Tenez wrote:Gatlin's results must raise tough questions for you Daniel. In short : "clean" 33yo beats his doped 24yo self.

Not really. Exceptions again don't make rules. I keep telling you that. But I don't see Gatlin or Bolt beating those time records.  Do you? They aren't even getting close.  Do you have any explanation as to why all the best times are set by runners in their 20s?

Watching the athletics. Sir Mo Farrah, Sir Andy Murray.

Just so wrong.

Bolts last race. Just trying to work out what makes him magnetic. He poses and that's about it.

Bolt pulled up. What a coward!

Britain what a race!!

He's injured no? Bit harsh LK>

LS if he done his hamstring (and I've done a many) you wouldn't be bending your leg like he was. Clearly saw he wasn't winning and pulled up and even more degrading was him not finishing the race. Not inspired by Cool Runnings!

Kelly Sotherton did an interesting piece in the Guardian (unable to access online unless you have an account) in which she suggested Mo Farrah wasn't a legend of the sport. As you can imagine it went down like a shit sandwich on the message boards on BBC. She cited his lack of records.

Just wondering what the contingent on here think. Do you need records aside from titles when being crowned a legend?

Imo he's a doper

Oooooh you devil LS!

It looks dodgy that set up. I wish they would further explain the re-testing of some of his samples!

In Beijing 2008 he didn't make the final! All the stuff with Salazar stinks to high heaven. Rupp, who came 2nd in 2012 behind Mo, gets done but not Mo.

Also Mo is now saying it him or salazar crossing the line isn't the problem it is the people bringing it up!

It stinks alright and with Coe at the helm, don't see any unearthing being carried out anytime soon.

All of athletics pretty much stinks and that was my point. 

Gatlin did show amazing character, in the face of constant and incessant demonization not just from the press but also from the crowd, to win that medal. 

He is a doper and I'm not a fan, albeit the first offense - which was later exonerated I believe or at least mitigated - was due to ADHD drugs when he was just a teenager. Of course Ritalin, Adderall etc are incredible stimulants for focus so he could have been on them legitimately or as a ruse for PE. 

My objection was to his constant vilification whilst ignoring other dopers who were competing alongside him, and, the deification of Bolt, who's treated as an amazing role model and general all round god like figure when all he does is run in a straight line for 10 secs. 

My final gripe, and really this is the crux of the matter, is that I believe Federer is a greater sportsman than Bolt but aside from the Wimbledon coverage the BBC and mainstream TV never seems to talk about him, wrt documentaries etc. He doesn't get as much appreciation. Perhaps he's not as accessible. It could be something as simple as that.

Emancipator wrote:My final gripe, and really this is the crux of the matter, is that I believe Federer is a greater sportsman than Bolt but aside from the Wimbledon coverage the BBC and mainstream TV never seems to talk about him, wrt documentaries etc. He doesn't get as much appreciation. Perhaps he's not as accessible. It could be something as simple as that.

That is something I noticed too. Fed is liked by many but I am not sure too many see the genius. The fact he makes the game look easy probably takes away a lot of the admiration. He has not got the sweat, the grimacing face that reflect teh effort and might put people off...or simply don't see what it takes to win in this gruelling world.

A 100m is much easier to appreciate. Everybody can see who crosses the line first.

Well, again it boils down to masses and their lack of ability to discern.

And I suppose we should be grateful we are not in that majority.

"To whom much is given, much shall be required of".