By John Lohn
BEIJING, China, August 17. PRODUCING an intelligent race, Tunisia's Ous Mellouli denied Australia's Grant Hackett a third consecutive title in the 1500 freestyle, winning the metric mile in 14:40.84. Mellouli then took part in a unique celebration, hopping out of the pool and racing to the stands where family and friends waited with the Tunisian flag.
Hanging with the leaders through the first two-thirds of the race, Mellouli moved into the lead at the 1,100-meter mark and never looked back, event when Hackett made a final push on the last lap. It was retribution for Mellouli, who served a ban by FINA for using the banned stimulant Adderall to help with his college studies.
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As a result of his ban, Mellouli had his gold medal in the 800 freestyle at last year's World Championships in Melbourne stricken from the record books. From here forward, though, his troubles are history and the University of Southern California product can call himself an Olympic champion.
Trying to become the first male swimmer to win an event in three straight Olympiads, Hackett collected the silver medal in 14:41.53. The greatest distance freestyler in history, Hackett was timed in 14:38.92, an Olympic record, during the preliminaries. Coming back a day and a half later, he couldn't match that time.
Canada's Ryan Cochrane, a rising star on the international scene, was the bronze medalist in 14:42.69, finishing ahead of Russia's Yury Prilukov (14:43.21). The silver medalist in Athens, American Larsen Jensen was fifth in 14:48.16 and Great Britain's David Davies, the bronze medalist four years ago, was sixth in 14:52.11.The Chinese duo of Zhang Lin (14:55.20) and Sun Yang (15:05.12) placed seventh and eighth.
Results: 2008 Olympic Games - Swimming
Premium Members - Search More About: Ous Mellouli
Reaction Time Comments
August 16, 2008 Ous Mellouli!! Way to rep trojan swim club. A remarkable comeback from being out of competition for almost 2 yrs because of adderal. Amazing story, Hackett would have gotten him if he started his charge earlier. Submitted by: WUswimmer
August 16, 2008 congrats to everyone apart of the race, but did anyone realize that mellouli jumped out of the pool only seconds before Sun Yang finished his race? Therefore Mellouli should be DQed? Submitted by: aussie
August 16, 2008 Way to go Ous!!!! Submitted by: jim
August 16, 2008 i agree. by fina rules, mellouli should have been DQ for leaving the pool before the whistle has been blown. and i am sure they couldn't have blown the whistle yet, since the chinese was just about to complete his race. but it is a rule that is often overlooked unless someone puts up a protest. it doesnt hurt any swimmer because it does not provide any advantage/disadvantage to the competitors. but it reeks of disrespect and unprofessionalism. Submitted by: Tornado
August 16, 2008 Is this the same Tunisian who tested POSITIVE at the last World Champs? Submitted by: per1
August 16, 2008 Hackett might have won if he wasn't so worried all the time about catching a cold. Thank God they have chlorine in the pool or he would never have dove in. Submitted by: crafto
August 16, 2008 aussie, sorry for Hackett, but no need to find reasons for DQ of winner. Why he shouldn't leave the pool? He did not cross anybody else lane. Submitted by: TomMaster
August 16, 2008 Tornado, what Fina rules do you mean? I've found one which contradict you:
SW 10.13 Any swimmer having finished his race, or his distance in a relay event, must leave the pool as soon as possible without obstructing any other swimmer who has not yet finished his race. Otherwise the swimmer committing the fault, or his relay team, shall be disqualified.
So? Submitted by: TomMaster
August 16, 2008 Tornado, they don't blow a whistle at the end of a final. I have never seen that in 25 years in this sport. Let's cut out the negative stuff...Ous earned it and he deserves to enjoy his moment.We love you Ous! Submitted by: jim
August 16, 2008 I've read a lot of comments during the past week questioning the performnce of the Chinese Women Swimmers. However, nobody raises a question on Mellouli who has a history of testing positive, dropped something like 20 seconds from his best time in a year.
It was a good race. 14.38 hurt Hackett more than he thought. If he swam 14.41 in the prelims and 14.38 in the final, he would have won. Submitted by: Thunder
August 16, 2008 Well it was sort of rude, but I don't think he should be DQ'd for it, that's ridiculous. I'm sure he was just thoughtless,not malicious. By the way, I just saw that Sun Yang is only 16; he did a 14:48 in prelims. Looks like LaTourtette et. al. will have some stiff competition for many years to come. Submitted by: liquidassets
August 17, 2008 From what I know of the rules leaving the pool is fine. Jumping in the pool, like the Aussies did at the 2001 Worlds, brings a dq.
As for Mellouli, well in my opinion he was lucky to even be there. FINA reduced his suspension for drugs from two years to eighteen months after an appeal. And, as the old cynic I am, I'm quite suspicious of him dropping around 20 seconds in this event over the last twelve months. I hope I don't sound like a sore loser, but performances like that deserve cynicism, especially when the athlete is a formerly convicted drug cheat. Submitted by: Cobber
August 17, 2008 Wow. Great point Thunder.
I am really actually a little stunned.
On one of the other postings (200 Br or 800 W Free relay), there is a fierce debate going back and forth with regard to the Chinese swimmers and doping and who is and who isn't around the world.
Then I come to read here. And not only is there no questioning of the guy who won but general adulation for him. This is a guy who actually DID test positive for a BANNED substance. A guy who should have NEVER been in the Olympics to begin with if his 2 year suspension was not reduced in time which allowed him into the Games. A guy that has come from a program that has 3 of the 4 or 5 positive drug tests in the past 4 years in this country (yes WUswimmer, way to "rep" trojan swimming... you too Jessica Hardy...and props to you too Kicker Vencil...way to rep the highest drug failing swimming program in the world right now...but of course they are all just "accidents" aren't they?).
But no, damn the Chinese....those cheaters!!
Quietly question Stephanie Rice about her meteoric rise to the top or Alain Bernard, or other swimmers who have been questioned on these postings).
But don't do anything but praise Mellouli because he trains at a high profile American team.
I am not an Aussie, but I feel for Grant Hackett tonight. He got beat by a guy that, by the standard that has been set on these posts in other areas over the past few weeks, must be seen as nothing short of a cheater. Was his drug taking an accident? Possibly. But then again, maybe he just came up with a killer excuse for why he was taking a banned stimulant. One everyone would step back and say "ahhh, poor Ous! He was just trying to get his "A" in Calculus".
But there is no way we would have given this leeway to a Chinese swimmer. And if a Chinese swimmer had come back after 18 months of a doping ban and won, most would be on here absolutely crucifying them.
But apparently it doesn't matter in the forum of popular opinion.
Until it's a swimmer that's popular.
Sorry, but this is exactly why NO ONE can doubt the Chinese right now. How much of a drop from his best time since 2006 has he made (prior to his drug bust)? Meteoric? Anomolous? Nope...he's from a "popular" team. "We love you Ous". Submitted by: rcoach
August 17, 2008 Hi, I'm a doc who prescribes Adderall and I have to say that it's heavily abused by college students, who share it, so his story is very plausible, and in my opinion, likely. It seems pretty stupid, but I did alot of stupid things despite being in training to be a doc at that age. However, I don't know if he was prescribed it, but if not, he and whoever gave it to him technically broke the law as it's a narcotic. If he was prescribed the medication,then he was just misusing it, as it's not supposed to be a study aid but only used as a legitimate treatment for ADHD. But I guess the question is whether his penalty was sufficiently or too harsh; some might say it was too harsh. I don't know how the penalites are given, is it sort of like court where the "hanging judges" give out the death penalty and others are way more tolerant/lenient? I don't know. Anyway, Adderall is short-acting so would have to be given day of race and would still easily be detected in urine post-race. So assuming he tests negative, he didn't use it here. I don't think anybody on here questioned that, but just wanted to add that as an fyi, in case anybody was wondering. Submitted by: liquidassets
August 17, 2008 liquidassets,
What about the issue of using it as a training aid to allow him to train at a level which would improve him? If he was using it daily as a training aid, rather than a competition aid, then would that not still be a problem? My understanding is that drugs such as this can help in these situation, which would then also be just as bad as a drug used to enhance meet performances.
But I am not a doctor, so I just have to go from what I have been told. I also have heard that some of these stimulant type drugs are quite popular with certain athletes. Be interested to get your perspective on that.
If you are using it daily and then test positive, and you are a college student, the study excuse is an easy one.
Sorry, but you have to wonder. Especially with a 20 second time drop as some are stating for him. Submitted by: rcoach
August 17, 2008 Because of the lovely NBC coverage that had "Live" swimming delayed three hours on the west coast, I was able to watch the games actually live on an Arabic internet feed. (Along with all podiums and victory parades.) I don't speak the language, but it was fantastic to hear an announcer with more excitement than even Rowdy Gaines can muster. It was thrilling to hear the excitement as Ous took over the field. If I am not wrong he is the first Tunisian to ever get Olympic Gold in swimming.
According to the stories I remember regarding Ous' doping case, he had taken the drug out of competition. A stupid move, but not to enhance his swimming. Go look at the Fina site for the doping history of the last 7 years. Do you really want to call the athletes who tested positive or Cannabis and caffeine cheaters too? I call them kind of stupid.
I believe that the reason people come here and vilify the Chinese, French, et al., is because they don't know them personally. People are quick to accuse strangers. Ous served his time, trained hard, and won his race.
I have the ultimate respect for Grant Hackett, he is a gentleman and a true champion. People who only think he can be beaten if someone is cheating should show a little humility. Tonight he was out-touched by a small margin for a race of that distance. That's all there is to it. Blood test should show that he was beaten cleanly. A silver medal at the Olympics is a prize to be treasured. Submitted by: laurenish
August 17, 2008 Adderall is not a training aid.
(The drug) acts as a cardio-vascular restrictor, and that's one of the reason it's banned because it can cause athletes to have a cardiac episode with the stress they're under when they're in an athletic competition.
It is also very short acting 6-10 hours so it would have to be taken right before competetion, not the day before but trace amounts will stay in your urine . As to how much it would help your performance, the literatiure is divided on that ..from negligable improvement to slight.
I beleive most student athletes that need to legitimatley use it would prefer not to because of the accompanied weight loss, too easy to loss muscle and strength also.
Their are a lot better PED's out there then adderall if you were inclined to use.
Submitted by: bab
August 17, 2008 I was surprised that Ous was back competing so soon AFTER getting the suspension. I mean, he's winning the world championship gold in 2007 and back in 2008 winning Olympic gold. This was a drug suspension? Submitted by: paddles
August 17, 2008 As someone who took legally adderall while swimming competitively for nearly 8 years, I can say that I never once felt that my adderall use, to treat ADHD, ever had a positive effect on my swimming and may in fact have hurt me. I could probably write essays on why, but suffice it to say that I find it laughable that people here are insinuating that Ous took this to enhance his performance in some way (and at the US Open? Lets be real.) If a swimmer were stupid enough to take a performance enhancing drug, adderall would be perhaps the worst one he could choose, based on how it affects you. In fact, I'm not even sure how it could enhance a performace in a distance event, which of course is Ous's specialty. I find it far more plausible that he took this as he claims, to help study. I had many friends, both swimmers and non-swimmers, ask me for some adderall during school. Its very commonly used among college students for a study aid. It seems to me a lot of people here are looking for a villain where there is none. Submitted by: MJB
August 17, 2008 Paddles he won the gold in 2007 so your right and was suspended for one year. He said he was using it as a study aid. He was wrong to use it, but i dont think he should have been stripped of his medals because of that. It isnt a training aid its used for focus on studying and for him to come back after that suspension and win is remarkable. He and Larsen are great training partners at USC and Larsen helped him get through the terrible experience. For him to train for a full year without a meet is remarkable. His first meet back was at the Janet Evans invitational and to come back at the olympics and win the gold is fantastic. Way to go OUS!!! Submitted by: WUswimmer
August 17, 2008 Paddles: I believe that Meloulli had a two year suspsension starting retroactively back to '06 when he originally tested positive, and it ended prior to Beijing. His medals from Worlds were stripped. It sounded somewhat leninet but again, I don't have all the fact nor know the procedures.
As for Adderall; I agree with those who say its effect would be negligible or none. As bab said, there are more effective PEDs out there. And for those of you out there without ADD (and even some of you with ADD) who are using it to study, there are more effective study aids than Adderall; good old caffeine, which is legal in swimming up to a reasonable level, beat Adderall and some other psychostimulants (Ritalin, Concerta, etc) on some performance tests for attention/concentration. To beat caffeine you'd have to take higher doses which would likely give you headaches, etc. Submitted by: liquidassets
August 17, 2008 I know Ous personally through a family member, and I can say that he is a very hard working an honest guy. I truly believe that he only had Adderall in his system for study purposes (a fairly common use for the drug in college, although that doesn't make it an "ok" thing to do). Ous is a very competitive swimmer, but he was also, at the time of his RETROACTIVE suspension a student-athlete (his Gold medal at the World Championships in 2007 was not removed because of a positive drug test at the time, but because of a test back in Nov 2006). And since he was honest and fessed up to taking the drug, they brought his 2 year suspension down to only 18 months, allowing him swim at these Olympics.
As for him "dropping 20 seconds", what about Ryan Cochrane, the Canadian bronze medalist? He dropped quite a bit of time in the last few years, as have most of the men in that final. In 2004 only one man went under 15 minutes to make it to the final, this year, you couldn't even be guaranteed a spot in the final with that time.
Ous definately made a mistake in 2006, a mistake many college students make, unfortunately it was a bigger mistake due to his level of international competition. There's no way he would make that mistake again (besides, he's not in school anymore). I'm very happy for him, he definately deserved it! Submitted by: cmon
August 17, 2008 Not really a villain, MJB (at least from my perspective), but wanting to know how he could be banned after winning the gold in 07 and be back in 08 winning gold again. (I don't doubt Ous, I am curious what the details were about his suspension.) Plus, was he suspended from competition but trained his ass off while waiting to get the green light back into competition? Submitted by: paddles
August 17, 2008 Paddles, from what I understand his suspension was retroactive to the positive test in November 06 and he was stripped of his medals. Also, I recall reading that he was granted the somewhat lenient suspension because he didn't deny taking the drug and also didn't even request his B sample to be tested. Submitted by: MJB
August 17, 2008 Thanks, cmon. Now I understand. Submitted by: paddles
August 17, 2008 Thanks MJB. I wonder what the differences are between those who take banned substances for personal gain and those who just don't think before taking it.....Now with the swiming completed, it is time for a break and then focus for Rome.
I will admit that this Olympic swimming competition was, without a doubt, the most emotionally draining I have ever experienced. But it was all still a GOOD thing. And this leaves me asking...How do you top THIS Olympic Games???? Submitted by: paddles
August 17, 2008 usaFanDave and friendlyfire - reaction times of on the breaststroke lap + backstroke time:
SONI Rebecca 0.28 + 58.94 = 59.22
JONES Leisel 0.19 + 59.33 = 59.52
SUN Ye 0.00 + 59.56 = 59.56
But one thing is reaction time and second one is the way how they jumped and how fast they went into water - Jones made an excellent and strong jump and overjumped Soni although she started later. Submitted by: TomMaster
August 17, 2008 If you plot Ous Mellouli's progression then there is nothing unusual with his time considering all the gains made across the board by all sorts of swimmers (Cochrane and many others). Plus he did not "drop 20 seconds" off his best in the 1500m. He swam 14:55 at the Janet Evans and split the 800m at 7:49 - several seconds faster than his golden swim in Beijing.
Also, keep in mind that Speedo's LZR is said to improve performance by at least 2%. That's 18 sec off a 15:00 1500m.
Plus how about Phelps swimming 4'03 in the 400 IM? That's like 5 seconds better than Athens. His progression on this and other distances is more or less similar to Ous progression on the 1500m.
Note also that Ous has dropped the 400 IM since Melbourne and focused his preparation on the freestyle events.
Memorable smart race and well deserved win for Ous! Hackett and Cochrane blew with their superfast heats. Submitted by: bof
August 18, 2008 It is really interesting the distance some people go to defend Ous and say that what he was tested positive for is not a training aid and therefore he should not be punished for it. Yet, this substance is on the FINA banned list. I guess FINA is wrong.
There is also the question which rcoach has raised: What if this drug helped his training? Yet, lot of people say that it does not help training. So this is a drug that helps race performance (it is on banned list afterall), but recognizes the training and does nothing?
If Adderall's effect is neglible to none, then why is it on the banned list? It should be taken out, shouldn't it?
I am sorry if I find this hard to believe. In my book, once a cheater always a cheater. Submitted by: Thunder
August 18, 2008 Thunder; at normal doses Adderall has negligible effect. The doses required to try to affect performance at all would be very high with risk of serious cardiovascular side effects. So even though it may not enhance performance, unless it were banned people might be tempted to keep upping the dose to try to get a stimulant performance-enhancing effect. Submitted by: liquidassets
August 18, 2008 Well FatDrew; purely by tne numbers, that's true, but let's bring back Leisel at the 2024 Olympics and see if she can outsplit Tessa Torres on a relay ;-) Submitted by: liquidassets
August 19, 2008 This guy is a cheat. No different to M Jones. Submitted by: per1
August 20, 2008 per1?? how the h*ll can you say that with such conviction? you know 100 that he cheated? eh? post it up on this message board then.
because without it you should never come out with definitive comments like your last post.
(you weren't even sure it was Mellouli who had tested ve - "Is this the same Tunisian who tested POSITIVE at the last World Champs?") Submitted by: medina
August 20, 2008 medina: i am glad that there is someone who is willing to step out and defend those who are being accused for no reason. there are also many comments that malign the chinese swimmers of taking drugs! go work your magic and demand they show proof too!!
look at the irony. so many ppl are willing to defend mellouli even tho he has a personal history of doping (intentionally or otherwise) that is only as recent as 2 years ago. however, no one cuts the chinese swimmers any slack even tho it was a team of past swimmers that let the nation down. none of the swimmers like liu zige and pang jiaying has a personal tainted history. and given how harsh the chinese are towards drug cheats, you'd think some ppl should show them more benefit of the doubt. ouyang kunpeng was banned for LIFE for the drug that was found in jessica hardy. kunpeng was their top men's backstroker and national record holder. i'd like to see what US swimming gives hardy for her cheating. Submitted by: Tornado
August 21, 2008 Everyone's convictions are strong. No one is going to change anyone else's mind whether it is about the Chinese, Jessica Hardy, Ous Mellouli, et al....
I don't necessarily agree with the mindset of some of those on this site just as they don't agree with mine. But I am thankful that (whether I like it or not) we have this opportunity to voice our OPINIONS because believe it or not, it plants a seed in the mind of those who would intentionally cheat that the swimming fans are not a stupid group of idiots and are pretty saavy as to what goes on in the athletic world. Maybe it would prevent someone from cheating. Submitted by: paddles
Reaction Time responses do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Swimming World Magazine or SwimmingWorldMagazine.com.
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