Michelle Smith

**pineapple stu** · 06/07/2005, 3:34 PM

Originally Posted by Wiseguy

I'm probably wrong but their seemed to be an agenda against her in Atlanta.

Yer wan the American (can't remember her name - Janet someone) was certainly ungraciously bitter about the whole thing, accusing her of drug taking before even any controversy had broken. Is that the kind of thing you mean? Pure bad losership more than an agenda (even if it did turn out to be justified...)

**Superhoops** · 06/07/2005, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Yer wan the American (can't remember her name - Janet someone) was certainly ungraciously bitter about the whole thing, accusing her of drug taking before even any controversy had broken. Is that the kind of thing you mean? Pure bad losership more than an agenda (even if it did turn out to be justified...)

Janet Evans was her name. She, along with other swimmers and coaches questioned the legitimacy of Smith's performances because her times had dramatically improved so much so that from being an 'ordinary competitor' she went to become a triple Olympic champion in a relatvely short time and very late on in her career. Evans was not the only one who expressed suspicion about Smith's performances, but she was certainly the most high profile and most vociferous of those that did.

Forgetting a minute it was Michelle Smith, there would have been much more controversy if say a Chinese swimmer had become a triple Olympic champion at the age of 26 when she had competed not very successfully for a number of years and two years prior to winning her times would not have put her in the top 25 of any of the events in which she had won gold medals.

**patsh** · 07/07/2005, 1:11 PM

Originally Posted by Superhoops

Janet Evans was her name. She, along with other swimmers and coaches questioned the legitimacy of Smith's performances because her times had dramatically improved so much so that from being an 'ordinary competitor' she went to become a triple Olympic champion in a relatvely short time and very late on in her career. Evans was not the only one who expressed suspicion about Smith's performances, but she was certainly the most high profile and most vociferous of those that did.

Forgetting a minute it was Michelle Smith, there would have been much more controversy if say a Chinese swimmer had become a triple Olympic champion at the age of 26 when she had competed not very successfully for a number of years and two years prior to winning her times would not have put her in the top 25 of any of the events in which she had won gold medals.

Spot on.

**pineapple stu** · 07/07/2005, 1:20 PM

Originally Posted by Superhoops

Forgetting a minute it was Michelle Smith, there would have been much more controversy if say a Chinese swimmer had become a triple Olympic champion at the age of 26 when she had competed not very successfully for a number of years and two years prior to winning her times would not have put her in the top 25 of any of the events in which she had won gold medals.

True. Or say, three Chinese middle-distance runners come from nowhere to oust Sonia O'Sullivan amidst stories of strange potions being taken to aid performance...

**Macy** · 07/07/2005, 1:44 PM

Originally Posted by samuel

However none of them were caught- Smith was- like the tour de France the Olympics are tainted-thankfully drugs don't improve the performance of soccer teams..otherwise.

Yeah there'd be no advantages for being faster, stronger, having more stamina, being able to recover quicker from matches and injuries....

**wws** · 07/07/2005, 3:54 PM

football is riddled with performance enhancing drugs. FACT!

**Aberdonian Stu** · 08/07/2005, 8:19 AM

Despite this the advantages are considerably less in some sports like football. Largely because of the nature of the sport. It's like what Agassi argued about in tennis a few years back. He was certain that it was rife but doubted it benefited all users as he felt there were disadvantages because of the type of sport involved.

**Macy** · 08/07/2005, 8:25 AM

Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

Despite this the advantages are considerably less in some sports like football. Largely because of the nature of the sport. It's like what Agassi argued about in tennis a few years back. He was certain that it was rife but doubted it benefited all users as he felt there were disadvantages because of the type of sport involved.

That may be true, but that doesn't mean that tennis or football can take the high moral ground when it comes to drugs in sport. Drugs aren't going to help you control a ball, but having a "great engine" could be a serious enhancement for a middling player. It'd be interesting to see the numbers of asmatics in professional football....

**CollegeTillIDie** · 17/07/2005, 7:32 PM

Originally Posted by Superhoops

Janet Evans was her name. She, along with other swimmers and coaches questioned the legitimacy of Smith's performances because her times had dramatically improved so much so that from being an 'ordinary competitor' she went to become a triple Olympic champion in a relatvely short time and very late on in her career. Evans was not the only one who expressed suspicion about Smith's performances, but she was certainly the most high profile and most vociferous of those that did.

Forgetting a minute it was Michelle Smith, there would have been much more controversy if say a Chinese swimmer had become a triple Olympic champion at the age of 26 when she had competed not very successfully for a number of years and two years prior to winning her times would not have put her in the top 25 of any of the events in which she had won gold medals.

Ok all of the above is valid except for one point being overlooked.
Michelle's winning times at Atlanta were slower than Janet Evans' winning times 8 years earlier ..... and changing from part time training to full time training will bring an athlete on a spell in any discipline... take the EL teams playing in Europe and the results they are getting since summer soccer came in compared to St Pat's losing 0-10 on aggregate to Moldovans for another example of dramatic improvements !

**pete** · 17/07/2005, 8:35 PM

Maybe i misread but i thought someone just defended Michelle Smith. She was a drug cheat sure & simple.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 17/07/2005, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Maybe i misread but i thought someone just defended Michelle Smith. She was a drug cheat sure & simple.

Judging by what was found in the offending urine sample she was a dipso

**Superhoops** · 20/07/2005, 11:46 PM

Originally Posted by CollegeTillIDie

Judging by what was found in the offending urine sample she was a dipso

Hence the reason she has just been called to the bar!!!

The controversial Olympic gold medal swimmer was among those called to the Bar yesterday and she plans to begin 'devilling' in October - that's the term for serving your time as an apprentice barrister.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 06/08/2005, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by Superhoops

Hence the reason she has just been called to the bar!!!

The controversial Olympic gold medal swimmer was among those called to the Bar yesterday and she plans to begin 'devilling' in October - that's the term for serving your time as an apprentice barrister.

Well the Devil is in the detail....