Under a new proposal in front of track and field’s governing body, some of the most famous world records in the sport could be stripped from the books.
The women’s world record in the marathon, 2:15:25, which Paula Radcliffe Sara Hall Smashes American Masters Marathon Record.
So are Florence Griffith Joyner’s marks in the 100 meters (10.49) and 200 (21.34) meters, both of which she ran in 1988.
On the men’s side, Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco could lose his world record in the 1500 meters (3:26.00) from 1998 and the mile (3:43.13) from 1999.
At issue is the rigor of drug testing during the era of those performances and many others before 2005. According to the proposal, put forth by European Athletics, for a world record to stand, the athlete who set it must have been subject to a number of drug tests in the months leading up to the performance, and the doping control sample taken after the record has to be stored and available for retesting for up to 10 years.
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Times run before these protocols were in place would no longer be considered as the world record.
“It’s a radical solution for sure, but those of us who love athletics are tired of the cloud of doubt and innuendo that has hung over our records for too long,” said European Athletics Council Running in the Cold. “since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books.”
Radcliffe expressed her anger over Twitter last night.
“I am hurt and I do feel this damages my reputation and dignity,” she wrote. “It is a heavy handed way to wipe out some really suspicious records in a cowardly way by simply sweeping all aside.”
Sara Hall Smashes American Masters Marathon Record.
“Do we really believe a record set in 2015 is totally clean and one in 1995 [is] not?” she wrote.
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Sebastian Coe expressed his support for the proposal in the statement, while acknowledging the feelings of runners like Radcliffe. “There will be athletes, current record holders, who will feel that the history we are recalibrating will take something away from them but I think this is a step in the right direction and if [organized] and structured properly we have a good chance of winning back credibility in this area,” he said.
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“I worked extremely hard for my [PRs] and they will always be valid to me,” Radcliffe wrote. “I know they were set through hard work and best effort and abiding by all the rules and am proud of them.”
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Are Average Runners Getting Faster? It Depends, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
