CHINA DAILY SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 olympics 3 Enjoying a track and fi eld masterpiece port is the greatest performing art. S You can have your movies, the- ater, opera and ballet, but nothing quite stiff ens the sinews and conjures up the blood like the games people play. Sport is athletic endeavor, but it is also fi ne art. You only had to watch win the men’s 100m Olympic fi nal on Monday morning ( time) or the TYM GLASER 200m on Th ursday to see that. Although he’s more Jackson Pollock than Picasso, all the colors came together Toss in the fact that Blake and pocket in 9.63 sec of near perfection in the brief rocket Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who and then 19.32 in the half-track defended her 100m title in and race. Yes, the man from the north-western claimed a surprising silver in the 200, have Jamaican parish of Trelawny did not both tested positive for banned substances exactly burst out of the blocks in the 100, and Lewis gains a little more traction. but, once in stride, a masterpiece was in But, King Carl, and others with suspi- the making. cious minds, conveniently forget that Bolt In the 100, Bolt’s compatriot and stable- was a star in the making from his school mate and the United States’ days at William Knibb Memorial High Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay painted and was destined for greatness in the 200 pretty quick pictures too, but they were and 400 before adventuring into the 100 LUCY NICHOLSON / REUTERS as Salieri was to Mozart — great, not bril- not long before the 2008 Beijing Games. ’s Usain Bolt reacts as he wins the men’s 200m on Thursday. liant. He broke the prototype of sprinters with In the 200, young Jamaicans Blake and his long, lanky frame and huge, loping Warren Weir fi lled out a podium canvas strides and, as far as I know, there’s not a of green, black and gold …but the fastest drug out there on the market yet that can man that has ever lived shone the brightest make you taller — otherwise we’d all be Bolt slams Lewis drug comment as a Caribbean nation went into raptures. about 3m tall and playing in the NBA! By completing the sprint double at con- Victor Conte, of drug lab BALCO By GERALD IMRAY in London testing procedures might need to said. “The things he says about Olympic champion, has raised secutive Olympics (and he can make it a infamy, says 60 percent of the (I presume Associated Press be tightened. the track athletes is really down- questions in recent years about double hat-trick in the 4x100 relay), Bolt is track) athletes at the Games are cheating. Th e comments brought a stern grading for another athlete to say Jamaican drug testing procedures. inarguably the greatest sprinter of all-time; How he would know? I don’t know, but Usain Bolt took a momentary reaction from Bolt at Olympic Sta- something like that. I think he’s Following Bolt’s performance better than Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis or … that’s a pretty high mark. break from basking in his historic dium, right after he roared to an just looking for attention, really, in Beijing, Lewis told Sports Illus- well, just anyone who’s laced them up for If that is near even close to the scale, it’s Olympic sprinting double to fi erce- unprecedented second 200m title because nobody really talks much trated: “Countries like Jamaica do races that now last less than 10 sec and 20 scary. Could Bolt be among the naughty ly criticize former US athlete Carl at the Games. No other athlete has about him. not have a random program, so sec respectively. ones? Yes. Is he? We don’t know. Lewis. won the 200 twice at the Olympics, “Th at was really sad for me when they can go months without being Sadly, though, with any great athletic However, due to crimes of some of his Soon aft er winning gold in the although Lewis won the event in I heard the other day what he was tested. I’m not saying anyone is on work nowadays, the cynical among us sprinting forebears, there will always be an 200m at the London Olympics for 1984 and finished second in the saying. It was upsetting. I’ve lost all anything, but everyone needs to be look for signs of forgery. Aft er too many element of doubt. 100 and 200 titles at back-to-back 1988 Games. respect for him. All respect.’’ on a level playing fi eld.’’ doping scandals, the question is always Still, it’s not fair for this once-in-a-life- Games, Bolt said on With the smile that had been Asked which specifi c comments Bolt had already dealt with one being asked, “Yes, but is he/she clean?” time athlete to be tarnished with the same Th ursday he had “lost a constant fi xture throughout his from Lewis made him angry, Bolt question about doping when he Lewis, who tested positive three times brush without any tangible proof. all respect’’ for Lewis press conference vanishing from replied: “It was all about drugs. was asked on Th ursday if he could and was involved in the dirtiest race of the An athlete’s track and fi eld career is rela- after the American his face, Bolt lashed out at nine- Talking about drugs. For me, an guarantee that Jamaican sprinters 20th century — the Ben Johnson-tainted tively short, and this could well be 25-year- was quoted as saying time gold-medal winner Lewis athlete out of the sport to be saying — who swept the top three spots in 100m fi nal at Seoul in 1988, raised his old Bolt’s last Games. Can’t we just enjoy a Jamaica’s doping controls were not aft er being asked if he’d like to be that. Th at was really upsetting for the 200 — were clean. eyebrows over Bolt’s stunning times in the great artist at work? as strong as other countries. compared with him or late sprint- me. Really upsetting. “Without a doubt,’’ Bolt said, 100 and suggested drug-testing proce- While not making any direct ing great Jesse Owens. “To jump up and say something sitting in between silver medal- dures in Jamaica weren’t up to par with the Tym Glaser is a senior sports copy editor who accusations, former 100 and 200 “I’m going to say something like that. As far as I’m concerned ist Yohan Blake and bronze win- rest of the world. loves nothing more than to spend time with Olympic champion Lewis has said controversial right now. Carl Lew- he’s looking for attention. Th at’s all.’’ ner Warren Weir. “We train really He didn’t say categorically that Usain his family in Duncans, Trelawny. He can be in recent years that Jamaican drug is, I have no respect for him,’’ Bolt Lewis, the former 100 and 200 hard.’’ was a cheat, but the implication was there. contacted at [email protected]

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