There’s been a lot of “smack” talk between US track and field star Carl Lewis and the Jamaican sprint team lately.
Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Lewis recently told a TV station in India that the doping bans on Jamaicans Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson were a vindication of the comments Lewis made in 2008 in reference to Usain Bolt’s success at the Beijing Games, suggesting the island nation had a less stringent drug testing program.
“A couple of years ago, I was attacked, especially by the Jamaicans and Usain, about my comments,” Lewis told NDTV.com. “But all of a sudden when what I said was true, everyone went silent. I think their issue should be, let’s go back and ask [Jamaica] to show that they’re doing what’s supposed to be done because I don’t know of any country that’s had as many positive tests in the last three or four years than their country.”
The Jamaican team shot back at Lewis after a victory in the men’s 4x200m final at the IAAF World Relays on Saturday night, where the Jamaicans’ time of 1:18.68 smashed Lewis and Team USA’s 20-year-old record by .05 seconds.
“[Lewis] has been talking a lot of smack,” Jamaican anchor Yohan Blake told The Gleaner. “Even the other day in India, he said some things about Bolt, but we know we are clean, and we know we are good for the sport. We feel like we always have something to prove. We are taking all his records. There is no more for him.”
Lewis took to Twitter to clarify his comments:
This likely won’t be the end of the discussion, especially since Bolt looks to chase down Lewis’ Olympic medal haul in Rio 2016.
H/t NBC OlympicTalk.
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