(Mods, please don't delete this thread. I've got no problem with it. Why this wouldn't be allowed but posts about crimes would is beyond me).OP,You are right. This topic hasn't been discussed before because few think he's dirty. I'll take your points point by point.
What is your point? Alan Webb was a phenom from the moment he started running. He was the sophomore record holder in the mile at 4:06. He ran 3:59 indoors that year.
Improving by 13 seconds from 10th to 12th grade isn't unheard of, nor is improving six seconds from indoors to outdoors particularly when the outdoor race is in front of packed stadium and national tv audience.
First of all, while the fact that he got the record may have been a bit of a surprise, it wasn't really totally unexpected. The guy was on fire - running 3:51 miles in April and had just won the Paris DL in 3:30 two weeks before.
Secondly, you seem to know next to nothing about how drug testing works. As David Epstein told me, you'd have to be a fool to get busted in an in-competition test.
That being said, all-American records are followed by a drug test. So it doesn't matter whether Webb said the American record in the mile at the Olympics or some obscure meet, he was getting drug tested either way.
But in 2007, Webb certainly didn't stay away from the major meets like so many dopers have done. Webb's racing schedule that year was big meet after big meet where testers are very likely to show up.
In 2007, Webb ran
New Balance Games at Armory in Jan
Boston Indoor Games in Jan.
Millrose in Feb.
USA indoors in Feb.
Drake in May
NY DL in June
USAs in June.
Paris DL in July
AR in mile in July
WC in August
Zurich in Sept.
WAF in Stuttgart in Sept.
In hindsight, it's easy to see how he didn't have it at Worlds as he was in 3:51 shape at Drake in April. The guy was on fire all year pretty much and racing big meet after big meet.
You are correct. 2007 was by far his most brilliant year of his career and pretty much his last really good year. If he was on drugs, he wouldn't just fade away. Drugs = consistency.
So your point here is the #1 reason why most think it's crazy to think he was on drugs.
No it's not logical at all.
At LetsRun.com, we welcome people asking questions about drugs but people need to know what they are talking about.
You need to understand a) how drug testing works and b) the facts. You seem to be missing out on both.
Webb was a long-time phenom in track and field. If there was anyone based on what he was doing in 10th grade, who you'd expect to run 3:46 in the mile, it would be him.
The fact that he was amazingly inconsistent is a sign that he likely wasn't on drugs. My take, the kid trained his butt off and went very deep into the well in workouts. When it worked, it produced spectacular results. When it proved to be too much, it produced disaster.
Was it too much too handle or was Webb a guy who just matured earlier than most (the guy was bald at a very early age)? Does it really matter? Better to burn bright at least once.
Since doping is a very common topic in the circles I operate in, I've always said, "Given his body of work, no way Alan Webb was on drugs unless you want to assume he was already on them in 10th grade."