wejo wrote:
As stated in a post two nights ago, I went running with Paula while in Beijing. Prior to the run for the first time in my life I had a lot of doubts as to whether she might be clean mainly because she had come out saying she did not think athletes should reveal their blood values from the leaked IAAF documents. In Beijing before I met Paula, Robert tried to put me on the spot as to whether I thought she was more likely to be a doper or clean and I didn't want to answer which means for the first time ever in my life I thought the odds were not in her favor or being clean.
After our run, I'm firmly back in the camp that Paula has nothing to hide and I understand why she is supporting the WADA stance and saying athletes should not reveal their blood values at this time.
The full story has not been told and while some things were told me in confidence I hope that I've built up enough trust with you all over the years that you'll trust me on some of this stuff. If you think I'm a Paula hack, so be it.
While I'm friends with Paula and Gary, if I thought she was cheating I would say so on here. One of the reasons I wanted to speak with her in Beijing was I was very troubled with her saying blood values should be kept private.
A few details I will share.
1) There is no super injunction involving Paula.
2) There are valid reasons to support the WADA/IAAF stance that blood
values should not be released now.
3) I firmly believe Paula does not have anything to hide and down the
road will make her values public.
These were my concerns before I went to Beijing:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6728693&page=1#6729595and I don't have them anymore.
I must say when I first met Paula in Beijing in a cab to go to the park to go running, she started talking about Shobukhova's ban being reduced the day before. I even thought to myself, "Can she be this good and just faking it to pull one over me?" That's how skeptical i had become. Now I'm firmly back in the camp that Paula was clean and stands for clean sport.
We discussed a lot of things and she answered every question I put to her. I know I'm vague on details, but some things were said in confidence. I figure those of you I have built up trust with over the years would rather hear my thoughts on this now, as evidenced by this thread, rather than wait, so I'm posting my general impressions here.
When you're own brother said you were compromised on this, he really wasn't kidding. This 'report' (which boils down to 'trust me', but I can't tell you anything....)has to be one of the saddest things I've read on this site.
Ah well, another doping story swept under the rug this year because we sully the reputation of track and field. The attitude Coe evinced (the doping list is a threat to the sport..!!!.) seems to be rife throughout Athletics. Well, his failure to even pretend to want to do something about it, and, now this site's failure to pursue more seriously one of the biggest stories of them all because it might ruin friendships or threaten celebrity.....How long did you talk to her Wejo?? An breathless hour run?? That's how long it took you to 'ask all your questions'?! Did you prepare for the interview at all? Or was it simply you pleading 'say it ain't so, Paula'. Sheez! Even the rubes who buy tickets for WWE know that they're not seeing real sport.
I'm done. I can't imagine being a fan of the elite level of this sport again. It's dead to me now. From now on, I'll watch only prep races and pray while I do so that at least there, the performances I'm seeing are the result of only honest work.