THE Great Britain men’s sprint relay team, stripped of one set of championship medals and standing to lose another over the Dwain Chambers doping affair, may soon be asked to return a third set. But there will be no disgruntlement this time as a bizarre drugs scandal in France raises the prospect of Britain handing back bronze medals in exchange for silver.
Lueyi Dovy, who anchored the France 4 x 100 metres team to victory at the World Championships in Helsinki last year, is being questioned over suspected possession of drugs after his sister, a pharmacist, is reported to have informed police that he had asked her to look after growth hormones. Depending on the outcome, France stand to lose their world title.
Dovy was questioned and released last week before his sister turned apparent whistleblower. Depending on the evidence, or any confession dating back to Helsinki, Britain may be elevated from third place. A confession from Chambers that he was doping before his failed test cost them their 2003 World Championships medals and may now see Britain stripped of their 2002 European gold.
Paula Radcliffe’s income from running marathons over the next seven years, up to the 2012 Olympic Games, could reach £10 million if she keeps winning at the rate of two races a year and saves motherhood until she retires. Radcliffe’s potential wealth was boosted yesterday by jackpot incentives announced by the world’s five leading races. London, New York, Boston, Chicago and Berlin have grouped themselves into an organisation to be known as World Marathon Majors (WMM), offering $500,000 each to the top man and woman in their rankings, with the expectation that it will rise to $1 million each by 2008. Radcliffe has indicated that she would like to continue racing until 2012, by which time she will be 38.
More realistically, with starting a family something that she may not wish to postpone until 2013, £5 million should be within reach from six or seven victories rather than the 12 to 14 needed for £10 million.
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As The Times reported on Saturday, the announcement confirmed that the WMM would rank athletes on their best four results over two years, beginning with the Boston Marathon on April 17, and that Olympic and World Championships results would be included. Once the first jackpot winners are determined towards the end of next year, annual payouts will be made based on rolling results.