News Archive

by Robert Hartmann

Turkey loses a false hero with the doping discovery of the runner

Süreyya Ayhan – Felix Sanchez has stopped panting The sport-crazed

nation Turkey is stuck with a false hero, and just three days after the

discovery of her deception it is clear that her fall is like that from a

skyscraper.

Süreyya Ayhan was banned immediately from competition after she

attempted to deceive the anti-doping world agency WADA with a manipulated urine

sample. Over the past few years the 26-year-old runner had risen to become one

of the best athletes in Europe, suddenly and “without warning“

winning the title of European Champion in Munich in 2002. She did not race at

all this summer, a pattern she had kept since she first appeared on the

international track and field scene.

Now there is evidence that she got herself into top form nice and quietly

with forbidden drugs.

In her male dominated homeland she quickly became a very popular figure,

especially with the women. Her president, Erecep Erdogan, called her on the

phone after each of her great accomplishments to congratulate her.

Women rightists even took to the streets for her to defend her in a matter

of love. The love was Yucel Kop, her trainer and “father figure“,

as she said. This private affair was discussed in parliament, and the couple

was rehabilitated after he got a divorce and the two got married last spring. A

book was even written about her with the title “Go Süreyya

go“.

Suddenly the new 5000m world record by the 21-year-old Elvan

Abeylegesse of Turkey has to be questioned as well.

Abeylegesse, who is by birth Ethiopian (1.59m and 40 kg) ran a time of

14:24.69m on June 11 in the Norwegian mountains, improving her personal best

time by almost half a minute. That was very unusual and for those knowledgeable

about long-distance running not very probable. The Olympics will tell

more.

Maybe she and those around her know of a miracle drug that the world’s

best 400-m hurdler, Felix Sanchez from the Dominican Republic, could also start

panhandling. He won for the 39th time in a row last Friday in Zurich.

His tactic: He never enters the final stretch in front, and then he turns up

the speed. Four steps before the finish he already has his hand on his right

ear to illicit more applause from the stands. This time again, while his

competitors sank exhausted to the ground, which is normal, he jogged 50 metres

further and swung himself up on the balustrade in order to be celebrated by the

standing room crowds.

He was breathing like someone out on a stroll, and if everything is true, he

can also walk on water and is the first human to have found eternal youth.

Nothing is impossible anymore. Right after his victory lap he was welcomed by

the doping controller.

The assistant was very successful two years ago, by the way, when the

Marrocan Brahim Boumali was caught for doping after his world record in the

3000m hurdles.

At the last minute, on Sunday afternoon, the agencies reported that Jerome

Young was caught with the blood doping drug Erythropoietin, EPO for short, at

the Golden League Meeting in Paris on July 23rd.

A year ago the American became world champion with a time of 44.50 seconds.

This time it was only enough for a second to last, 7th place finish in 45.84.

That puts him pretty much in 100th place in the world rankings. EPO was

apparently the wrong drug; anabolic steroids would have been much better.

Apparently the despair and helplessness were great.

This is the same Young who was doped at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.

His functionaries concealed the facts until recently, when the long sprinter

finally had to give up his gold medal.

There is always something to be done, and the surprises never end. Not everyone

can get away with it.

, diQ