Katy Ledecky stormed the 800m-free nearly breaking Rebecca Adlington's 800m free record but within minutes the Katy Ledecky Wikipedia entry was overtly vandalized suggesting doping. Of course all this happens on the heels of John Leonard's doping accusations of Chinese swimmer, Ye Shiwen, and now Katy Ledecky is under attack and accused of swimming dirty.To repeat, John Leonard, with his rhetorical accusations of Chinese doping has gravely crushed any belief now that swimmers are capable of jaw-dropping performances. Ye Shiwen is CLEAN! - So is Katy Ledecky but now both have had their wonderful swims questioned and degraded.
These are 15-and-16-year-old girls who are under a "viral attack" and despite the governing bodies trying to "inoculate" the masses with a "truth vaccine" the damage continues.
From EuroNews.com:
Earlier this week, an American coach, not involved with the team or U.S. Swimming, [read as John Leonard], accused China’s Ye Shiwen of doping when she won the 400 individual medley gold medal, saying her rapid improve, which was less dramatic than Ledecky’s, was a sign she cheated.
Ye denied any wrongdoing and swimming’s world governing body [FINA] backed her, saying she passed all her drug tests. The Chinese said their accusers were racist and would never point the finger at their own. [Read as Katy Ledecky or Michael Phelps]
Then along came Ledecky. Within moments of her win, Ledecky’s Wikipedia entry had been vandalised. At her post-race conference, the inevitable inquisition began. “It’s totally false,” she replied when asked if she had doped. “I just put in a lot of hard work, this last year and that’s all that it’s been. It’s that simple.”
[Link]
One would think that John Leonard would apologize or recant these insults after what all his words have wrought. Instead, he is standing behind his rhetorical allegations which is not making it any easier for this sport to look as honest as it is.
Above is a photo of a 13-year-old Dara Torres. Hopefully, Ye Shiwen, and, Katy Ledecky, have a swimming career that is just as long and equally as successful.
19 comments:
"Earlier this week, an American coach, not involved with the team or U.S. Swimming, [read as John Leonard]"
Most of the media has used a form of the above sentence in their stories.
Isn't John Leonard's American Swimming Coaches Association the certifying organization for coaches for U.S. Swimming???
Not the best to illustrate with a photo of Dara Torres, or were you being ironic? ... Any sensational athletic achievement these days is questioned, not unreasonably given the doping scandals over a range of sports. The answer is the most rigorous testing and policing standards. FIFA has come a long way. Can it do better?
It is racism pure and simple. Why John Leonard attached on the Asian winner but not the Caucasian one under similar circumstance?
It is racism pure and simple. Why John Leonard attached on the Asian winner but not the Caucasian one under similar circumstance?
It is racism pure and simple. Why John Leonard attached on the Asian winner but not the Caucasian one under similar circumstance?
It is racism pure and simple. Why John Leonard attached on the Asian winner but not the Caucasian one under similar circumstance?
At worst I think it is nationalism, not racism but note, I DO NOT LIKE HIM EITHER!
Ledecky's got shoulders like a linebacker in the NFL, her face looks like she's 35, not fifteen, and she's losing a ton of hair going bald, which is an extreme tell-tale sign of serious steroid abuse.
Ye looks like a normal teenage girl.
She what John Leonard has created. Both nations are pointing fingers at each other and it really is a disaster.
Seeing as your original exposé in 2011 of the fraud known as John Leonard and ASCA, I find it implossible that he is still the "Executive Director", or that his organization has any credibility. After the Ye incident, he will either be vindicated, or completely ruined (professionally). Hopefully, Ye will hire some lawyers to ruin JL (and the British press) financially, too.
Time will tell. John is speaking up to help protect all the swimmers and coaches who do play by the rules. Some countries are singled out because of their history. This has nothing to do with race, but more to do with weak governing bodies that have inadequate testing in place.
An unknown girl improves her record in 11 seconds in one month and wins a gold medal in the olympics and finishes almost with a world record.
At this level is just not possible without doping!!!
I want to make something clear, when Leonard went to the press with rabid allegations instead of taking them to FINA, the IOC the USOC or WADA, he hurt swimming, he did not protect it.
People who are saying that China was only accused of doping because of it's history need to learn how to use a search engine. You'll quickly find a list on wikipedia of countries that have been caught doping in the Olypmics, and the US is on top with the most cases. Ergo facto, if you want to accuse Shewen of doping, you have to do the same for Ledecky.
I call on American swim coaches to pull their support from Leonard and his sham organization. There must be more honest, transparent and level-handed options out there.
he has a no bid monopoly on certifying coaches. All the help wanted ads for coaches ask what you ASCA "ninja level" certification is.
USA SWIMMING must take into account that this individual started an international swimming incident that is tearing the sport down.
I hope that FINA and USA Swimming do something about this and look for other options.
What's this no bid on certifying coaches? At USA Swimming only the head coach needs to be certified, and they can give a waiver. High school, ymca, assistant coaches can get a piece of paper anywhere. (although we claim to be a nation on independent, self starter, and reject the burden of regulation, most people truly want a piece of paper). Can you design and print off a certificate Tony? Can you maintain a database? Open shop tomorrow. Charge $5. It will cost you about $22 to file a DBA (doing business as) at your county courthouse. You can be an unincorporated association. As soon as you get 200 members, submit a request to USA Swimming for recognition.
Maybe I should do it. I already have a DBA for SwimAmerica. I didn't intend to use it; it was just to demonstrate that ASCA didn't own the trademark. My theory is that is really what pissed John Leonard off last summer and motivated his lawsuit rants. He had just be informed of my claiming the name in Bexar County, but couldn't claim the name himself. He recently admitted the IRS told ASCA in the 1990's the couldn't run SwimAmerica under ASCA. That's why ASCA didn't renew the trademark.
I'm just kidding about running it myself and I wouldn't use that name, unless JL threatens me again and I want to annoy him. But honestly, someone should.
I read your comment and went great, another lawyer fight with John Leonard ;-)
oh, do any of you out there know a popular Chinese swim blogger I can some some stuff to?
admit it, it was an adrenaline rush; my days of athletically induced adrenaline rushes are over, gotta get one somehow.
Post a Comment