Smoking athletes

I have heard rumors of some old time track athletes that smoked. Who was the best track athletes/smoker?

Re: Smoking athletes

Patrick Sjoberg 7-9 or 7-10 HJ.

[Zorro King]

Re: Smoking athletes

I heard that Jai Taurmara(AUS) who won the Sydney 2000 OG Sllver Medal in the Men's Long Jump with a national record of 8.49m smokes like a chimney!!!

[jhc68]

Re: Smoking athletes

Brian Oldfield used to chain smoke on the field between throws. And, if I recall correctly, I think that Jim Ryun smoked at one time but not during his competitive career.

[MJD]

Re: Smoking athletes

I've never understood why nicotine of all things isn't a banned substance. It is definitely a appetite suppressant. From that stand point, it indirectly helps performance for those like high jumpers where body fat is an issue. It is also just plain very bad stuff. Didn't a lot of the banned substances get banned because of their side effects or was the banning all just performance related and health be damned?

Re: Smoking athletes

Did Ryun smoke before or after his career?

Re: Smoking athletes

>I've never understood why nicotine of all things
>isn't a banned substance. It is definitely a
>appetite suppressant. From that stand point, it
>indirectly helps performance for those like high
>jumpers where body fat is an issue. It is also
>just plain very bad stuff. Didn't a lot of the
>banned substances get banned because of their
>side effects or was the banning all just
>performance related and health be damned?

Good question. However, it seems to me that benefits gained via weight maintenence would be offset by the harmful side effects on training.

This one is very hard for me to believe, but I had a college teammate that claims Herb Elliot smoked regularly during his career. I doubt that.

Cruijff heavy smoker

Johan Cruijff, considered one of the best soccer players of all time, was a heavy smoker, even during his career. It didn't slow him down on the pitch, but he does have a heart attack or two to his credit.

Re: Smoking athletes

Thierry Vigneron lighting up a smoke after setting a PV WR of 5.91. Okkert Brits (PV 6.03) is, or was, a heavy smoker too.

Re: Smoking athletes

This one is very hard for me to
>believe, but I had a college teammate that claims
>Herb Elliot smoked regularly during his career.
>I doubt that.

Elliot smoked when he wasn't "in training". When it was time to get serious, he would throw the smokes aside. He hadn't smoked in 9 months or so before Rome.

Re: Smoking athletes

I don't ever recall hearing anything about Ryun smoking. I don't believe he mentions anything to that effect in his autobiography, and if he had smoked in the past but quit one would think he would have mentioned it.

Re: Smoking athletes

I was watching boxing on HBO a month or so ago and saw some guy win a WC fight and light up in the ring after the judges gave him the fight...he hadn't even taken his gloves off!

Re: Smoking athletes

>I don't ever recall hearing anything about Ryun
>smoking. I don't believe he mentions anything to
>that effect in his autobiography, and if he had
>smoked in the past but quit one would think he
>would have mentioned it.

Actually, in his bio In Quest of Gold, Ryun mentions he smoked for awhile when he was 12 - 13. I don't think that's along the lines of what this thread is about.

Re: Smoking athletes

>I was watching boxing on HBO a month or so ago
>and saw some guy win a WC fight and light up in
>the ring after the judges gave him the fight...he
>hadn't even taken his gloves off!

the boxer was ricardo mayorga, who supposedly smokes 2 packs a day and drinks heavily as well. he is scheduled to defend his title on july 12th on hbo.

Re: Smoking athletes

Thanks for mentioning that. I didn't remember reading that in the book. I would hardly say that made him a smoker, though!