Sunshine, there were whites in the top 10 voting for athlete of the year -
and they were ahead of Wariner. They were field event performers
(strength athletes). Are you speaking only of runners?
Bekele? Dominating athlete Drugs? Well, Jos Hermens and Dr. Kostre
(and a few other wonderful, honest men) are among his "support team",
draw your own conclusions. Birds of a feather.I've gone into this stuff
too many times. There are some other factors and stories to impart, but
I'll do that in another post.
It wasn't that great a year for a lot of top white performers. Injuries
mainly. I'd have to admit this has happened to blacks also in some years.
Look at the high jump - Holm was injured all season. He was supposed
to be unable to compete, but he did manage to rank #2. Holm did
manage to equal the record for highest clearance over one's own height.
He did this indoors before he was hurt. He's freakish. Olsson (another
Swede) was out injured all year - he's won the World's and Oly triple jump
titles. I could go on, but it happens. Wariner was even hit by the injury
bugaboo - he was in the lead in his last race of the year, then pop - he
limped in last. Wariner did easliy take the top spot in his event, and a
case could be made for moving Rock up to #2. BTW, if anyone here is
familiar with Track and Field News, they know that the 'unbiased' panel
there will contort themselves until their spines burst from their backs in
order to find some criteria that can be used to move a non-white ahead
of a white. They contradict their own "standards" every year.
I wince every time I see a Cuban ranked in a top spot. This country
athlete's are always being handed a pass when caught on drugs. They
have to be popped 5 or 6 times before anything is done - or made public.
Look at Javier Sotomayor, the 'retired' high jumper. High is the word.
Roids, coke, you name it. Maybe that's why his eyes were crooked. This
kid gloves treatment of the Cubans isn't only in track, it's their athletes in
weightlifting, wrestling, boxing. They are protected like no one's
business. We all know why.
