The real 'test' for Jamaica's sprinters comes on Saturday

NEWS COMING of the Jamaican camp in Beijing that its sprinters - especially Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Michael Frater - are getting extra attention from the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) is not surprising.

In fact, one should not be taken aback if similar sentiments are echoed from other quarters at the Olympics, including the United States, which also has a number of the world's top sprinters, headed by Tyson Gay.

Cleaning up

Long before the Games began, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and WADA made it quite clear that the levels of testing in Beijing would be unprecedented, with 4,500 tests scheduled.

All this is part of the their efforts to clean up the sport, which has taken a battering through the number of positive tests returned by athletes, as well as doping confessions by some who had never been caught like America's 2000 star in Sydney, Marion Jones.

Jamaica's sprinters, both male and female, have also contributed to the extra testing they have received in recent times, due to the fast times they have been recording.

Displeasure

Even recently, concerns - though imagined - were expressed by head of the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation, Dr. Adrian Lorde, about the number and quality of testing done in Jamaica. In a story published in today's Gleaner, Jamaica's Powell admitted his displeasure at the number of occasions he has been tested since arriving in China.

"Two days ago, I got pretty upset because since I've been here, they have tested me four times," he said yesterday.

Powell added that if the doping officials continued taking as much blood, it might weaken his body and, by extension, performance. One hopes it doesn't get to that stage.

Powell also said Bolt and Frater had been tested heavily.

By now, all three runners, and even the top females, should be used to dope testing as they have been competing on the international circuit for quite some time and that is commonplace for the world's leading athletes.

Turn into a positive

Even more important, Powell must not allow it to affect his mental preparation, which has been widely viewed as the main reason why the super-talented Jamaican hasn't won a gold medal at a major championship.

He needs to put a spin on the situation and turn it into a positive by viewing the excessive testing as one of the challenges standing before him and the Olympic 100 metres gold medal.

As things now stand, winning the event is quite a challenge in itself with fellow countryman Bolt and Gay as his main competitors.

Bolt and Powell have recorded the fastest legal times over the distance. Bolt set the world-record 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Classic in New York on May 31 while Powell was the previous world record holder with 9.74 seconds.

Bolt, in an article printed in The Gleaner today, stated his one intention: "To go out there, stay focused and run." That is the attitude necessary to succeed.

He also doubles in the 200 where the gold medal looks more of a certainty, as he has gone much faster than the competition, his 19.67 victory at the Athens Grand Prix last month being two-tenths better than any athlete this season.

Training

People question his workload as a negative factor that could affect his chances for 100 gold. But the 21-year-old, who trains much harder each day than the two races he should run on Friday and Saturday, is a proven champion who doesn't lack confidence and is running faster than anyone in both sprints at the moment.

As for Gay, the World Championships double sprint gold medallist, he ran his fastest over the distance, 9.77, this year.

Gay fell and got injured while running the 200m at the US Olympic trials and there are concerns about his fitness. However, he announced himself as fit and appears set to contribute to a truly mouth-watering clash.

It shouldn't last 10 seconds and history beckons Jamaica, which has never won this event at the Olympics. So make sure your Saturday morning plans include sitting in front the television set at 9:30, with the channel tuned to the Olympics. And don't be late, or else you could miss the most anticipated clash of the Beijing Games, the men's 100m final.

Send feedback to audley.boyd@gleanerjm.com.