BBD wrote:Am just being a cynical old scrote or does 14 seconds off a world record that hadn't been approached in 20 years and which itself was under suspicion just seem a bit too good to be true?
No... well, yes to the old scrote bit; but it's a pretty popular club around here.
I would always look at the Athlete's record beforehand though - so I'm not too cynical about Bolt as he's been winning since he was 12 or so; for example.
Apparently, Ayana has also been winning since turning pro, and has been gradually increasing the distances that she runs; going from 3K => 5K and smashing records in both of them. This seems to be her first competitive 10K, and she's basically run it the same way as she runs shorter distances, just going further. Of course, it may well be a source protesting too much.
It really helps to make her just look like a physical freak, rather than a doper who's come out of nowhere.
Always cynical (especially of the Ethiopians, amongst others), but with some mitigation. In this case, I'd consider whether she'd been doping before turning senior.
ETA: I'm now reading that there were 18 PBs during that race; and speculation is suggesting that the track is actually a touch short than it should be. When you get that many people doing that much better than they ever have before, you have to look at external factors; not factors different for each individual.