Women's 400 IM

It seems at least two former prominent Australian swimmers believe in Ye incredible feat: Susie O'Neill and Grant Hackett both had cause during their careers to suspect that they had been robbed of major medals by drug cheats, but both cautioned against making any accusations against Ye. Twice O'Neill was relegated to the bronze behind two Chinese swimmers in the 100m and 200m butterfly at the notorious 1994 Rome world championships - just weeks before a swag of Chinese swimmers tested positive at the Asian Games - but she is adamant Ye's world record deserves to be taken at face value. "I thought it was awesome," O'Neill told The Australian. "I was a bit shocked when I saw her. She looks nothing like the people I encountered when I was swimming, with their huge physiques. Ye is quite small. "I just don't think China would do that again. Maybe I'm too trusting, but I've seen the Chinese ... train and they have an amazing work ethic. I think they're clean." Hackett admitted he blinked when he realised what Ye was splitting as he helped to call the race for the Nine Network. "As I said in my call, that's a male split that 58 point for the last 100m," he said. "What she did was incredible and mindblowing and I'm still sitting here flabbergasted. But I think back to some of the utterly amazing things Thorpie did, or Aaron Peirsol, and I think how unfair it was that some people cast doubts over them. "I think the current Chinese swimmers have inherited the legacy of those years when China cheated. I know this girl went to the Gold Coast to train under Denis (Cotterell, Hackett's former coach) and he has told me how dedicated they are. It is not as though they are doing sensational times on half the training."www.theaustralian.com.au/.../story-fne3a96w-1226438936146

I don’t think in the history of Olympic or international competition has the winning female swimmer ever swum faster than the winning male swimmer in the last 50 in a comparative race. That alone is not enough to suspect her. Records are broken all the time. One thing missing from this thread (I think, unless I missed it) is the unusual way she swam the IM, particularly her back-*** turn and her lack of a breaststroke pulldown. One hypothesis is that she saved more for the 100 free than others. In other words, perhaps she simply swam smarter.

I don’t think in the history of Olympic or international competition has the winning female swimmer ever swum faster than the winning male swimmer in the last 50 in a comparative race. Not a fair comparison.Lochte put it all into the first 3 legs and was dying at the end.

In other words, perhaps she simply swam smarter. Yeah, she discovered the unknown secret of the newfangled IM event that no one else in the history of swimming has thought of. How likely is it that her 16 year old teammate was on a doping routine this Spring by herself on a team that is state run and has a sordid history? Wasn't it in Beijing the Chinese falsified birth records for 11 year old gymnasts so they could compete? Don't forget the 1990s Chinese swim team. She's also too young and has very little international experience, if any, to have that biological passport that busted those athletes last week, convenient. I wear a tin foil hat also, btw. I have no problem with believing a woman can beat a man but, c'mon, swimming faster than Lochte because, according to the Chinese media, she had big hands at age 5 and was referred to a swim coach?

Yeah, she discovered the unknown secret of the newfangled IM event that no one else in the history of swimming has thought of. No, that's not what I am suggesting. What I am suggesting -- and this is just a hypothesis -- that she and her coaches were able to figure out the right strategy for her, given her strengths and weaknesses, and given the strengths and weaknesses of the field she was facing. That strategy might fail miserably for others and in other circumstances.

Exhibit A-Barcelona 1992 As an avid 400 IMer, it just seems that even a 16 year old doesn't have that much energy at the end of the 400 IM. The rest of the field seems to be hanging on for dear life. Of course, the testing doesn't keep up with the latest doping methods. If she is clean as a whistle, I need to know how she has road runner speed at the end of a freaking 400 IM.

Is blood doping detectable?

What drug, exactly, makes somebody go :59 on the end of a 400 IM LCM? Whatever it is, I want some of it too!! Even for SCY :applaud:

If she is adequately juiced, the 200 IM should be a slam dunk What drug, exactly, makes somebody go :59 on the end of a 400 IM LCM? Probably the same drug that helped Missy Franklin win the backstroke gold just 14 minutes after swimming the 200 free to qualify for the final! I wonder if the Chinese are suspicious of this tremendous feat?

Probably the same drug that helped Missy Franklin win the backstroke gold just 14 minutes after swimming the 200 free to qualify for the final! I wonder if the Chinese are suspicious of this tremendous feat? Touche. :) At the end of the day teenagers are capable of almost anything.