No World Athletics Championships thread?

[Guest]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

The amount of women sprinters sporting dental braces is increasing, I see, at the world athletics championships. The poachers are obviously way ahead of the game-keepers again.

The above is from Neil Francis's (former Ireland rugby international) column in the Sunday Tribune yesterday.

What's the connection between teeth braces and athletes taking drugs?

[ursus arctos]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

I recall hearing that the use of some performance enhancing drugs can lead to abnormal growth of the jaw, that may be what he's hinting at.

A pretty poor indicator in any event, I'd say.

[I.Wright]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

What's the connection between teeth braces and athletes taking drugs?

Apparently human growth hormone can cause the jaw to realign. That and a few of those wearing dental braces were in their late 20s-30s. Not a common age group for this kind of treatment.

[Tony C]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

[ursus arctos]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

It's worth noting that adult orthodontics has become significantly more common in Nort America in recent years, particularly among people whose parents were unable to afford the treatment when they were kids

I'd be very wary of reading to much into female sprinters with braces..

[wingco]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

Belts and braces, though - and 'taches and sideburns - I'd be dead suspicious, me.

The more that emerges about Caster Semenya, the less good it looks - tests revealing three times higher than average testosterone levels, and the involvement in the SA team of a former notorious East German, of which I wasn't aware before. Still feel sorry for her, though. Whatever has happened to her, she doesn't deserve at 18.

[G-Man]

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Don't you think that if the SA team was all drugged up, they'd do better than just two golds and a silver?

Anyway, I haven't come across anything about the testosterone results. Do you have a link?

And what has been done to Semenya shouldn't be done to anyone at any age. If the tests do establish that she is indeed a woman, will the IAAF discipline the athletes who said things like "to me she's not a woman", as did the Italian who came 6th (bitter grapes about not coming 5th, presumably)?

[ursus arctos]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

BBC link on leaked test results.

One possible explanation.

[Kid A]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

Gerontophile wrote:

His seconf 50m last night was in 4.32seconds. Multiply by 4.

He said in his (BBC) interview that he might concentrate on only one, as he feels tired.

Tired. 19.19, and tired.

In other news, Warriner bottles it again.

A bit late here, but I think that's harsh on Warriner. He did run a season's best in the final, can't do much more than that.

[Gerontophile]

No World Athletics Championships thread?

Yes, thats fair. I was very harsh on Warriner. He just seems to lose whatever 'it' is, when he runs against Merritt.