Are their records humanly possible?

Emmanuel F24 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:05:57 +0200

Jamaica sprinter Usain Bolt has shattered the previous 100m and 200m records in a way never seen before. His female Jamaican counterparts Shelly-Ann Fraser, Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson have hoisted their national flags on all three steps of the 100m podium.
Michael Phelps now boasts twelve gold medals.

Their feats are extraordinary. But are they humanly possible?

Beijing dreams of a clean Games

Emmanuel F24 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:36:00 +0200

Chinese authorities are determined to host a clean Games. To accomplish this, and avoid the repeated embarrassments of the 2004 Athens Games, a staggering 4,500 drug tests have been programmed. Twenty eight cases were revealed in the last Olympics, up from Sydney's 10 in the year 2000.

Bulgaria recalled its entire weightlifting team in June, six weeks before the opening ceremony in Beijing, after 11 of its members tested positive for a steroid. Among them was Ivan Stoitsov (77 kg), a gold-medal hopeful in Beijing.

The host nation, China, has put in place restrictive regulations for its own athletes. Any Chinese athlete caught cheating will be punished with a lifetime ban from competition. This has already been the case for Chinese swimmer Ouyang Kunpeng. Seven other athletes have also been banned, though details were not disclosed.

doping

Are their records humanly possible?

Beijing dreams of a clean Games