Below is an excerpt from the Lap Count newsletter, posted with permission. Kyle Merber’s Lap Count newsletter both entertains and enlightens fans about athletes and happenings in our sport.
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From the Lap Count Newsletter
“What is the appropriate reaction when yet another athlete is banned from the sport?”
It’s not uncommon to see some level of celebration and a number of I-told-ya-so’s from the track and field community. And that’s understandable. It means that the system is working to catch those who do wrong and hopefully bring the sport back to some level of fairness equilibrium.
But I generally feel some amount of heartbreak when this happens. Most runners are naturally optimistic. I lined up with this idea in my head that all the competitors on the starting line have dedicated equal parts of their lives to winning, but somehow I deserve to win most. Even after back-to-back seasons of disappointment or injury, I could seemingly find ways to continue convincing myself that in this next race everything will finally click.
To be a fan of this sport requires that we extend this confidence to those we are cheering on. So like with an unfaithful ex-boyfriend, there’s unwavering hope that each time you catch him in a lie that it will be the last! We suspend belief a bit to enjoy the performances as they come and to find connection and inspiration from the athletes we root for. Even when there is certainly a legitimate reason for doubt, I prefer defaulting to the mindset that athletes are innocent until proven guilty. The alternative is becoming so jaded you can’t watch at all.
Last week started out with the harrowing news that Raven Saunders, the Olympic silver medalist in the shot put, was banned for 18 months due to whereabouts failures after she missed three tests in a 12-month period. This one hurt as she is certainly a fan favorite, known for twerking in the ring and advocating for mental health outside of it. Raven took responsibility, which is the right and only thing to do. She may never earn back the trust of some, while others will be quick to forgive, but these are the consequences of her actions.
On Tuesday it was Zane Robertson, 33, of New Zealand who got popped. The national record holder in the half (59:47) and full marathon (2:08:19) was revealed to have tested positive for EPO and was subsequently banned for eight years. The extended sentence is for “providing false documentation in his defense” which was that he went to a clinic in Kenya to receive the Covid vaccine, but was injected with the prohibited substance as treatment.
When Zane and his brother Jake moved from New Zealand to Kenya at the age of 17 to pursue a career in elite distance running it was seen as the ultimate badass decision. It demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the pursuit as they took a non-traditional path toward achieving their goals. The cultural impact their story had on kids across the world was significant – surely many others dreamed of doing something similar and floated the idea to their mothers.
The Robertson twins have certainly had their fair share of detractors, many of whom are dancing in the streets right now. But sharing this news with a 17-year-old version of myself would be just as difficult of a pill to swallow as hearing that Quenton Cassidy was also taking EPO. (Maybe that’s how he did so many quarters…)
And yet the sport moves on and so will we. Surely there are other stars who are actively competing under the false pretense of being clean. And tomorrow we will unknowingly wish them all of the success in the world, only to regret it the next day. What other option is there but to remain optimistic that we finallycaught the last doper?
