The Starting Block Swimming Blog

There are so many posts about the finish of the men’s 100 Fly in Beijing, but I just had to chime in.

If I had not seen the scoreboard, I would not have thought Phelps would have been the gold medalist in the 100 meter butterfly. Phelps’ mom and Bob Bowman couldn’t believe it either. It was that close.

If anything shows the importance of the finish in the sport of competitive swimming, this race makes the point clear. Cavic clearly had Michael beat, but made the “micro-split” second decision to not take an additional stroke and finished with a long glide. Phelps, on the other hand, exploded into the wall with a powerful, lightning fast, extra stroke. Had he not done this, Cavic would have been wearing a gold medal around his neck.

You can currently see a frame shot of the finish from beneath here… (Not sure how long these pics will stay up due to the controversial nature of the finish).

The US Men’s 4×100 Olympic relay team of Phelps, Weber-Gale, Jones and Lezak reclaimed the event for the US and set a new world record by completing the 400 metres in 3:08.24.

The race was insanely intense and nothing was sure until the final touch. Cullen told reporters that he was so excited he almost fell in the water. Phelps and Weber-Gale were in a state of uncontrollable excitement and Lezak had just completed the all time fastest split of 46.06.

Back to Cullen Jones, and nothing against any of the other relay swimmers.

There is a stark difference between the yearly drowning rates of minorities in the US compared to white children and that is where Cullen is focusing his efforts.

Cullen is already involved in Make A Splash, a USA Swimming organization dedicated to promoting water safety. Jones dreams of creating his own initiave called “The Cullen Jones Diversity Tour” where he will be connecting with children and youth with the goal of educating them about the importance of swimming and motivating them to learn this important survival skill.

No doubt, the exposure Jones is getting from his successes in swimming along with his charismatic personality, will allow him to continue making an impact on the lives of children and parents who otherwise would not realize the importance of learning to swim.

You can help a child learn to swim (a child who would otherwise not have the opportunity) by sponsoring a series of lessons through Make A Splash.

The 2008 FINA Swimming World Cup will be held in October and November and will mark the competitive debut of the intriguing new starting block by Omega.

The OSB11 will include a patented adjustable “wedge” addition, similar to the starting block used in track events. The OSAB11 allows a 90 degree position of the knee on the block. This means an increase in propulsive power and an expected drop in time for swimmers.

Omega introduced the blocks earlier in the year. The subsequent proposal to allow them at Beijing Olympics was highly controversial. After much debate, FINA voted that more time was needed for the athletes to train with the blocks before using them in competition.

Omega’s OSB9 Starting Block & OSB10 Starting Platform was used in Athens for the 2004 Olympics and are currently being used in the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Omega Live Timing Results of the Olympics
Beijing 2008 Swimsuits

Photos taken by Bobak Ha’Eri

• The United States Olympic Committee and other delegations have made protective masks available to the athletes.
• U.S. swim team head coach and general manager, Mark Schubert, said USA Swimming had asked the USOC for protective masks about 18 months ago, due to athletes with asthma.
• The Ethiopian marathon world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie, withdrew from the 42km event a few months ago stating “The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be difficult for me to run 42km in my current condition. Gebrselassie is asthmatic.
• Australian Olympic officials have given their athletes the opportunity to withdraw from events in Beijing if they are concerned about their health without the usual consequences.
• Great Britain’s women’s hockey team has wearing red contact lenses in an attempt to improve their vision in the smog of Beijing.

FACTS:

Jessica Hardy has no other reported positives for the banned substance Clenbuterol.

Clenbuterol is not approved in the US to treat asthma which is why it is not available for Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) by WADA.

Clenbuterol is available as a prescription bronchodilator in OTHER countries but not the US.

In the US, Clen IS approved for veterinary use in horses.

Clenbuterol is readily available on the internet.

Clenbuterol, according to the USDOJ Drug Enforcement Agency, is used as a preferred performance related substance by female athletes because it has some of the desired effects of anabolic steroids without the androgenic effects (the deepening of the voice, growth of facial hair and thickening of the skin).

(Clenbuterol is classified as a banned stimulant, NOT a steroid by WADA).

Clenbuterol has been detected in several tests for athletes in other regulated sports, so it should be publicly known as a substance an athlete does not want to be caught taking.

Jessica Hardy has been reported to have asthma. In fact, Hardy has a TUE in effect for several other substances which are in the banned list. An exemption can be granted for certain substances if proven that the athlete would suffer serious health issues by not taking them.

A Therapeutic Use Exemption often sets accepted levels of concentration for certain substances. After certain concentrations, the therapeutic benefit has been achieved and concentrations in excess would be unnecessary in relation to the athletes’ health. This would equate to testing positive to the substance without a TUE and the athlete would be subject to disciplinary action.

In the US, several effective anti-asthmatic pharmaceuticals are available and are eligible for TUEs, if medically necessary.

QUESTIONS:

So, did Hardy take the substance knowingly? She already had a TUE in effect for other substances used to treat her respiratory condition.

Why would she have jeopardized her spot on the US Olympic Team?

Might someone she trusted have provided the substance to her and presented it as one of her TUE included medications?

OUTCOME?

There are MANY unanswered questions and until more facts come to light, there is no way to condemn Jessica Hardy as a cheater.

It is understandable, and assumed, that many details are not publicly known because there is an active investigation in process and an appeal appears to be forthcoming.

Unfortunately, the facts that are currently being disseminated are not looking promising for Hardy or the US Olympic Team.

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/clenbuterol.htm

The spotlight is once again on a banned substance that the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA (in coordination with the International Olympic Committee) has included on their anti-doping list. USA 2008 Team swimmer, Jessica Hardy’s two positive test results for a banned stimulant (Clenbuterol) was reported by the AP Wednesday, July 23, 2008. An earlier test had produced a negative result.

Clenbuterol has several uses. For one, it is prescribed as a bronchodilator to be used in the treatment of breathing disorders such as asthma. It is similarly used in the veterinary field for horses.

More controversial, and the reason for the ban in organized sports, is the use by athletes to rapidly lose weight, increase muscle mass, and decrease fat. It does this by increasing the rate at which fat and protein are used up in the body. Because of this, it is commonly seen in the body-building community. The use of this stimulant has been seen in other sports as well. Several baseball players have admitted to the use of clenbuterol.

Clenbuterol works much like Ephedrine but the desired effects last for days in comparison to the hours of effectiveness for Ephedrine.

Direct use of this drug is most common, but in 2006, ironically, 330 people in Shanghai may have been poisoned by eating pork contaminated by Clenbuterol that had been fed to the animals to increase the leanness of the meat.

In response to the positive banned substance tests, Hardy (by way of her agent) has admitted to no wrongdoing and her stance is that she has not cheated. It is unknown if Hardy will appeal the findings. Even if she appeals, the likliehood of her being able to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympics is low. First time offenders are typically banned for two years.

Hardy was already entered into the 100 breast, the 50 freestyle and 400 free relay by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The list of banned stimulants is lengthy. For athletes, familiarity with all of the substances is crucial. Knowledge of the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is useful for those athletes that have medical conditions which require daily medication as some of these substances can be used in certain situations.

For more information about anti-doping issues:

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
The Official website of the Olympic Movement
A Guide to the World Anti-Doping Code
Performance Enhancing Medications and Drugs of Abuse