True or false ?

[dadme]

Just updating an alltime TJ list. The 2002 IAAF outdoor list shows
'17.19 1.9 Samuel Okantey GHA 03 11 1974 1 Annapolis, MD 16 06 2002'
Is this a genuine mark? Cannot find any reference in Tilastopaja, Athletics International, or T&F News Lists. There are several references on the web
concerning a false mark of 17.11 being reported at a meet in June'02.

[tandfman]

Re: True or false ?

Cannot find any reference in Tilastopaja, Athletics International, or T&F News Lists.

It's not in the 2003 ATFS Annual, either.

[Justin Clouder]

This is the guy who changed allegiance to Ireland in 2002 (his mother was Irish, father Ghanaian) and falsified some results to get credit for a 17.11 Irish NR. His deception was quickly uncovered (amazing anyone would think they could just fabricate results and have no-one notice).

No idea about the 17.19 but if it's not on Tilastopaja or in the ATFS annual it's a safe bet that the performance never happened - the IAAF lists are very poor quality and should not be relied on.

Justin

[gh]

The IAAF lists are compromised by the fact that it's not good business (in a political sense) for headquarters to be telling its constituent federations "your guy is a phony, we're yanking him." Although the vetting process has improved greatly over earlier years (was it Moscow wehre Ghana entered three 1:45 guys who had never seen south of 1:50?)

[Mennisco]

The IAAF lists are compromised by the fact that it's not good business (in a political sense) for headquarters to be telling its constituent federations "your guy is a phony, we're yanking him."

I suggest for possible future reference, a quiet call to an editor with clout, to smoke the rascal out.

[Walt Murphy]

Re: True or false ?

Just updating an alltime TJ list. The 2002 IAAF outdoor list shows
'17.19 1.9 Samuel Okantey GHA 03 11 1974 1 Annapolis, MD 16 06 2002'
Is this a genuine mark? Cannot find any reference in Tilastopaja, Athletics International, or T&F News Lists. There are several references on the web
concerning a false mark of 17.11 being reported at a meet in June'02.

It's not like he didn't have some talent. He jumped 16.74 at the James Madison Inv. on May 15, 1999, and was the 1999 Big East Indoor and Outdoor Champion (Syracuse). But you might have already known that.