Orville Taylor, Contributor
Belated birthday greetings Marion Jones! Bet you she forgot that last Friday was her 32nd birthday, assuming of course, that her birth certificate is authentic. Then again, we can't be absolutely sure of that record. Don't be fooled by the muscles, the 5' 10'' in frame, and the androgynous name. She is a woman - and a fast one at that.
Despite the maelstrom that is being created in sporting circles, only perhaps her mother is surprised that she finally admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Birds of a feather!
Her former 12 sandwich-eating husband, who trains at the ice cream and burger parlours, tested positive. Then, her 'baby father', Tim Montgomery, was banned for drugs violation.
At Sprint Capitol, under the guidance of Jamaican-born coach, Trevor Graham, one could not keep up with the Joneses, as she dominated female sprinting for almost a decade. Though surrounded by drug cheats, she maintained her innocence, despite the scandal of 2003, initiated by Graham's anonymous syringe, sent to the authorities, ending the career of Montgomery and others.
Blew the whistle
At least six of Graham's athletes had drug violations, including the pretender to Asafa's throne, 'Just-out' Gatlin. There, Graham overplayed his hand. He took out an American hero and, therefore, returned the 100 metres title to a non-American. That is sacrilege!
Marion is actually a marionette, and they intend to catch the puppeteer, who they believe is Graham, not to be confused with our long-serving Catholic deacon. Graham's syringe was supposedly evidence that she was closer to being a 'heroin' track than a track 'heroine'.
Cutting off his nose to spite his face, he blew the whistle over a dispute with Jones and Montgomery. Now, he is less American and like Ben Johnson, who took drugs like his nemesis Carl Lewis, he is Jamaican again. An informer, 'Chevva', is repugned by Jamaicans and unwelcome here. So, he is on his own.
Interestingly, Americans live under the collective delusion that their democracy and ultra-free society is squeaky clean. Furthermore, when it comes to global competitions, America has to be number one. Second place is a loser.
National superiority
Of all sports, track and field is the purest. One does not have to debate whether Pele is better than Maradonna, Bradman is more masterful than Headley, Jordan is superior to Magic Johnson, or if Muhammad Ali is truly the greatest of all time.
If you complete 100 metres in less time than anyone else, you are the fastest person in the world. Right Asafa? The timing techniques are so well developed now that runners can be timed during phases of the 100 and 200 metres races to determine who hits top speed. Asafa again!
Since the turn of the century, notions of national superiority have pervaded international relations and even caused wars. Adolph Hitler had his master-race ideology shoved down his throat by African-American Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, winning four gold medals.
After World War II, the undeclared war between the Russia-led Soviet bloc and the America-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was monikered 'The Cold War.' 'Commies' and Americans each desperately needed to demonstrate to the world that their entire system of social, economic and political organisation was superior.
And the Commies cheated. Female runners had more developed muscles than Jamaican construction workers, and wore 33A bra cups. Some could not even depend on breasting the tape in a photo finish because their chests were as flat as excuses for their masculine appearance.
Imagine, a woman completing the 400 metres in 47.60 seconds, a time that would have placed her fourth in the decathlon 400 metres in last August's World Cham-pionships in Osaka. She would have medalled at our own Boys' champs this year, albeit honestly, she looks more masculine than most under 19 boys. Coincidentally, her name is Marita Koch (pronounced 'coke').
Nevertheless, just as the Eastern Europeans were involved in international espionage via their KGB and the Americans had their CIA, elements in America, perhaps without the official sanction of U.S. Track and Field (USATF), got involved in counter-drugging. Cynics like my older brother were in love with the sexy, feminine, diminutive Evelyn Ashford, in the 1970s to 80s she had epic battles with the greatest female sprinter of all time: Merlene Joyce Ottey.
In the drugs race
However, by 1984, when Bertland Cameron ran the most awesome 400 metres ever, it was 'clear' that Americans were definitely in the drugs race. In came Florence Griffith, a 200 metres specialist, whose personal best of 10.96 up to 1987, was not even on the top 10 all-time list.
Running in the semi-finals at the U.S. trials in 1988, she literally stopped the clock and the wind meter, despite an obvious heavy trailing wind, with an incredible 10.49. This is faster than Asafa's personal best prior to his joining MVP Track Club.
Track clubs sprang up with élite athletes. Santa Monica with Carl Lewis, Dennis Mitchell, Joe Deloach and others, ran world records. Later, HSI emerged, followed by Sprint Capitol. All of these fell apart as prominent athletes failed tests.
Between 1996 and 2000, 13 American athletes tested positive and it has been reported that 19 doped-up Americans, including Lewis were allowed to compete in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, when ironically, Ben Johnson was disgraced. Perhaps he should have run on a Thursday.
This is a wake up call. Jamaica has the fastest sprinters on earth. If we dominate Penn Relays, World Junior and Youth Championships, how come the Americans widen the gap at the collegiate level?
Tomorrow is Heroes Day. Our heroines and heroes are Jamaican.
Dr. Orville Taylor is senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona.
