Lombard Retires

Domer

Lombard calls time on his career
Friday, 14 March 2008 08:14
Cathal Lombard has announced that he is to retire from athletics.

The recently crowned Irish men's cross-country champion has already decided not to join the Irish team at the World Cross-Country Championships in Edinburgh later this month.

He was instead expected to focus on achieving the Olympic qualifying standard in the marathon.

Lombard missed out on the 2004 Olympics after testing positive for the illegal endurance-boosting hormone EPO shortly before the Athens Games.

His two-year ban finished in the summer of 2006.

In a brief statement, he said he wanted to confirm his retirement from competitive athletics while also thanking everyone who had supported him over the years.

thirtyfoot

Classy way to go. Came back, destroyed the field at the nationals, made his point (to both himself and everyone else) and made his exit. Nobody can take the win in Belfast from him now, he has finished on a high with no chance for revenge (unless he tested positive in the meantime). The response in Belfast and in the press since was probably a factor in his premature retirement, no matter how strong a charachter you are its hard to endure that as a person.

Tomthepost

I disagree with you completely. Given the times Cragg had been running pre-Belfast Lombard's performance was stunning.
Why would one in such good form not try to qualify for the Olympics? The guy seems to have a serious attitude problem.
What right has he got to give anyone two fingers? He cheated and deserves the reception he got in Belfast.

deadlybuzz

Personally, I was nearly hoping that Lombard would qualify for the Olympic marathon, as it would entail a big Irish athletics story to engender interest in a games where we can harbour only the slimmest hopes of a T&F medal.

That said, it's not surprising that he has now chosen to retire, in the wake of his win in Belfast. Always good to end on a high point, but I think that in years to come, people will only remember Lombard as a cheat. Even his Belfast win has been questioned, by Cragg, pundits and others. It's hard to sympathise with him for the media coverage he received. The ban lasted two years, but the cheat tag remains for a lot longer.

thirtyfoot

Tomthepost wrote: »

He cheated and deserves the reception he got in Belfast.

You mean to be given a response and have hatred directed towards as if you were a paedophile or murderer. As John O' Sullivan said in '96, "nobody died, its only sport". I used to think drug users in sport were scum but now I feel sorry for them and think when they do admit eventually like Lombard did that we have a lot to learn from them. He has balls of steel and I don't think its two fingers he was giving more a wagging finger saying "I told you I am a top class athlete" (more so to himself or to the Man upstairs or whoever he gestured to at the end).

This topic will always have polarisation until lifetime bans are brought in, but we all agree that PED are not good.

thirtyfoot

deadlybuzz wrote: »

as it would entail a big Irish athletics story to engender interest in a games where we can harbour only the slimmest hopes of a T&F medal..

What a bag of cack but you are right. The media are not interested in the actual events anymore, its the drug circus that goes with it and unfortunately joe punter will only listen to the sport headlines or opinion pieces at the weekends instead of following the actual athletes who will be in Beijing and appreciate the hard work, talent and determination thats required to even get a qualification standard (is it just about the medals?). Maybe Lombard knew if he did qualify that he would overshadow the rest of the Irish team and he didn't want to do this because just maybe he isn't a monster and had Irish athletics in mind and said "f*ck this, in these guys minds I'm bad news, I'm outta here". Then maybe again, he is mental case we'll never know, unless of course somebody asked him and while they are at it asked him why he used EPO in the first place and then ask him what could be done to prevent people from experimenting with EPO or PED in the future. Too busy with the pitchforks and torches to do that though.

In this debate, like Lombard I'm outta here.

DaveH

4 Years to late in my opinion.

The only reason he immediately held his hands up to EPO usage was because he would have been struck from the bar for denying it.

As I said before Drug abuse is abuse.

Leevale A.C should be ashamed of themselves for letting a drug user compete for them again.

Pherekydes

DaveH wrote: »

Leevale A.C should be ashamed of themselves for letting a drug user compete for them again.

Under the rules of the sport, an athlete must wear the club singlet in a National championship.

petethedrummer

Tingle wrote: »

Classy way to go. Came back, destroyed the field at the nationals, made his point .

Yes, he really has recaptured the moral High ground.

Tingle wrote: »

I used to think drug users in sport were scum but now I feel sorry for them and think when they do admit eventually like Lombard did that we have a lot to learn from them.

Did he admit or was he caught????

In fairness to him, it is brave to make a comeback and he did immediately admit doping after the A sample tested positive but it would have been easier for him if he hadn't used drugs.

Read 'Game of Shadows' or the 'The Death of Marco Pantani'. Drug taking in sport is not (usually) a once off moral slip up....it is sustained cheating over weeks, months and years.

Amazotheamazing

Tingle wrote: »

he was giving more a wagging finger saying "I told you I am a top class athlete"

Would he have been one without the drugs? Obviously he didn't think so or he wouldn't have taken them.

Clum

DaveH wrote: »

4 Years to late in my opinion.

Totally agree.

ChickenTikka

petethedrummer wrote: »

Yes, he really has recaptured the moral High ground.

I don't think he has. In one of the recent Olympics, when the Chinese women showed up out of nowhere and won alot of distance medals and then disappeared from the limelight again, there was loads of suspicion.

I had hoped Lombard was going to compete regularly and run world class times on a regular basis. Personally I think its right for people to have a 2nd chance and to prove and redeem themselves. However, reappearing from obscurity to run this one outstanding race and then disappearing again only heightens the suspicions rather than recaptures the moral ground. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he raced regularly in the last 2 years with some strong times - I only heard that he ran the Cork county cross country championships and finished 2nd - no disrespect to Cork, but not exactly an elite field.

There will always be questions about it in my opinion. Was he tested since his return to the sport during his preparation for this race. Maybe he was and maybe he's clean. But on the surface, its supicious that a guy jumps back in at the top and disappears just as fast.

I think its a pity for him and the sport - he was better off not running this race if his plan was to retire immediately after it.

Timmaay

Good, I'm not taking sides on this whole Cathel debate, but it can only be good for atheltics here that this whole episode is now over. Hopefully whatever bit of media we get will focus back on our true olympic hopefuls now.

Studoc

I know the guy quite well. He is one of the most determined individuals you are ever likely to meet. He is also a very decent guy, made a mistake, admitted it and paid the penalty. So, leave it go. He won it fair and square. Makes you wonder what he could have achieved.

Common Sense

Again not taking sides in this - but Lombard (I understand) has quite a successful solicitor's practice; missed the sport and came back. But the attitude (not saying whether it was justified or unjustified) of the spectators and the Mulveys in Belfast convinced him that no matter how he bust his ba**s he was never going to be accepted and would continue to receive the silent treatment from spectators and other athletes refusing to shake his hand. In those circumstances, if it was me, my attitude would be "I don't need this". Again not taking sides; just giving a possible reason as to why he's walking away.

Pen1987

If someone is caught having taken PED then the shadow of doubt is always going to be hanging gover them once they re-enter the sporting arena, no matter what field, fact.

Lombard has been around Irish athletics long enough to know what type of treatment drug cheats recieve.

He's a solicitor, probably hoping to be called to the bar at some point, he should know how to prove a point of truth.

If he is clean and "won it fair and square" which I honestly doubt after his retirement, and wanted to continue his competitive running without the types of reception he got in Belfast the he could prove it by submiting a voluntary drug test weekly to the revelvant national authority for the course of his training until the olympics.

People may doubt him in the running community would in the long term eventually have to admit he was clean if he passed each test over such a string of testing. If he went to the media with these plans detailed [and stuck to them] then alot more people would show him alot more respect in the short-term because it shows a personal commitment, then he wouldnt have to sulk away into retirement because the bigs boys outside the ropes in Belfast wouldnt clap their hands for him.

Pherekydes

Pen1987 wrote: »

People may doubt him in the running community would in the long term eventually have to admit he was clean if he passed each test...

Marion Jones passed 160 odd tests over a number of years. By the above logic she is 'clean'. Nobody can 'prove' they're clean by passing any number of tests.

Pen1987

I used "prove" foolishly, I meant he could remove some of the doubt that surrounds his victory and possible subsequent performances if he didnt decide to retire by voluntarily commiting to all that testing.

Marion Jones passed all those tests before she was proved a PED user, it would of been different if someone like Lombard had taken 160 tests after he/she had been caught.

slowcoach wrote:

Under the rules of the sport, an athlete must wear the club singlet in a National championship

Sorry I just noticed this, Leevale still had to enter him in their team.

DaveH

Slow coach wrote: »

Under the rules of the sport, an athlete must wear the club singlet in a National championship.

I know the rules better than most people, My point is how Leevale let them back into their club.

If any Raheny Athlete was got for performance enhancing drugs I would want them out of the club.

Barry Ryan was a goalie for Shamrock Rovers. His drug test came up with something and Shamrock Rovers terminated his contract.

The then Rovers Chairman said "we have young lads and girls at Under 12, 13, 14, 16. That has to come into consideration."