Renato Canova wrote:
I was in Keringet (200 km from Iten) for the last workout of Geoffrey Kirui running Boston, and received a call from my assistant coach in Iten informing about the positivity of Jemima. Since in Keringet there is no internet, I could read the comments only now (20 minutes past midnight).
I understand the reactions, but also I read a lot of stupidities, and I want to clarify my position :
1) Renato Canova doesn't hide himself, but simply had something more important to do, during the day, than to answer some emotional, and many times stupid, post
2) The fact Jemima took EPO doesn't change my clear opinion about the fact EPO doesn't work with the top Kenyans and Ethiopians working in altitude, at the higher intensity of training.
3) Jemima is, of sure, one of the best marathon runners, but winning Olympics doesn't mean you are the best. Surely, the Korean Hwan winning in 1992, or Thugwane winning in 1996, were not among the best runners of the world. Jemima Sumgong is the specialist n. 27 all-time, with a PB of 2:20:48, that represents the 50th performance all-time, something absolutely normal for the best women. Maybe she was already in doping when won in Rio, but I want to remember that the two best Kenyans (Mary Keitany and Florence Kiplagat) were not selected by AK, and that some of the best Ethiopians (like Asefelech Mergia) were injured.
4) I repeat again what is obvious from my experience : EPO can be a shortcut for reaching a personal level of 90% of the max aerobic efficiency, but the move from 90% to 100% of the best performance is ONLY possible with tough, smart and proper training. In other words, EPO can work with ALL KENYANS AND ETHIOPIANS who have not proper training as volume and as intensity, AND IN ANY CASE DON'T ALLOW THESE ATHLETES TO REACH THE SAME RESULT THEY CAN REACH WITH PROPER TRAINING. So, for my experience, when a top athlete has proper training, EPO CAN'T ADD ANYTHING TO HIS SHAPE, and this is the reason because the WR are clean.
5) Different is the situation with athletes born and living at sea level, with only some period of training in altitude. In this case, EPO can give some advantage, since these athletes have a lower level of aerobic power (level naturally higher for people living and training in altitude), which can be increased artificially.
The positivity of Jemima produces big shadows on the full situation of Kenyan runners, because the most part of people have emotional reactions, using their belly and not their brain. The fact that, if the number 27 all time is doped, also all the athletes in front of her must be doped, is not rational, and not supported by any real evidence, apart the sense of doubt that we unconsciously create in our mind (for example, for association now it's easy to think Sarah Chepchirchir, sister of Talam, husband and coach of Jemima, can be doped, looking at her result and at her link with the group).
Sometimes our suspicions can be confirmed, but the most part of times are only rumors without any foundation.
Anyway, I'm not only for banning all the athletes clearly doped for long periods (4 years is already a long life for an athlete), but also for cancelling ALL THEIR PREVIOUS RESULTS, also if were clean (for example, one Youth title of 15 years before).
And I bless all the OOC tests, hoping their number can increase, because tough and numerous tests are the only defense for clean athletes against the raise of skepticism about top results, especially from people not knowing anything about the athletic history (for who thinks the "clean" limit is 2:10 : do you know that in 1985 not an African, but Steve Jones from Wales, ran 2:07:13 without rabbits, with a crazy split at HM of 61:53, having as doping 5 beers every day, and that Carlos Lopes, already 37, ran 2:07:12 without any idea about what to eat and without any supplement ?).