Chinese Caterpillar Fungus and World Record Runners

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IN SEPTEMBER 1993, Chinese women athletes astounded the world of international track and field. At the Chinese National Games in Beijing, Wang Junxia ran 10,000 meters 42 seconds faster than any woman before and also broke the women's world record in the 3,000 meters by two seconds. Her teammate, Qu Yunxia, set a new women's world record in the 1,500 meters (Tefft 1993). At all three distances, additional Chinese women finished under the previous world records (Hollobaugh 1993). The incredibly rapid ascendency of the Chinese women's track program has led to speculation that illicit drug use was responsible for their success, especially after reports that former East German sports scientists were hired to help train Chinese athletes.