Ben Johnson article

[timbat]

Johnson talks of his famous bust. Denies the charge, claims dirty tricks by another athlete who may have been given the beneficial treatment by the authorities ....

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/johnson-comes-clean-on-the-dirtiest-race-in-history-20120530-1zjid.html

Story sounds somewhat familiar to cycling

 

[Caruut]

Johnson talks of his famous bust. Denies the charge, claims dirty tricks by another athlete who may have been given the beneficial treatment by the authorities ....

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/johnson-comes-clean-on-the-dirtiest-race-in-history-20120530-1zjid.html

Story sounds somewhat familiar to cycling

It's always tough to know what to think in these cases. To me it seems that there was enough "looking the other way" going on, that it seems odd that Johnson in particular was popped at the pinnacle of his career.

 

[Benotti69]

Didn't Carl Lewis test positive during the trials for the Olympics.?

 

[sniper]

Didn't Carl Lewis test positive during the trials for the Olympics.?

yep, and a bunch of other american athletes.

johnson was quite clearly scapegoated during the olympics in favor of the americans.

the case is (cases are) discussed in this VERY interesting German doc titled Blut und Spielen / Blood and Games:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3gh2Ll-GMc

 

[McKraken]

Correct me if I am wrong, I'm at work and unable to verify this at the moment, but i'm sure Ben Johnson after serving his ban made a comeback and subsequently tested positive for a second time?

I vaguely remember something about that in the 90's.

 

[Catwhoorg]

In 1989 he admited to the Dubin enquiry about using PEDs, his coach stated he had been using them since 1981.

In 1993 his 'comeback' was suspended due to a high testeosterone adverse finding, and a life ban followed.

In 1999, at his own expense he was taking a test to try to 'prove' he was clean and get reinstated, and he failed that -this time for a masking agent.

3 known adverse findings and a history of lying.

I don't trust a word he says on this matter.


(Though I do think Lewis was dirty as well, though not due to anything Ben says)

 

[sheenyp]

I'd strongly anybody interested in this case to read Speed Trap by Charlie Francis, Johnson's coach.

Pretty frank admission of what Johnson and other athletes were up to and his real gripe was that everybody else was doing it and not getting caught.

 

[Neworld]

I'd strongly anybody interested in this case to read Speed Trap by Charlie Francis, Johnson's coach.

Pretty frank admission of what Johnson and other athletes were up to and his real gripe was that everybody else was doing it and not getting caught.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Francis

Charlie Francis was to T and Field what Shumi is to cycling today. RIP Charlie.

 

[The Hitch]

Its a sad story with Johnson because Lewis, everyone now knows from what has been revealed about US track in the 80's, was doped to the gills to but he can go around callying himself the best athlete ever, though in some ways he is.

But i saw today that lewis was boasting about how he is the only man in history to retain 100m gold.

Now that is unfair. he did the same things as johnson who beat him bad in that olympics, i don't think he can call himself the winner like that anymore.

 

[Neworld]

Its a sad story with Johnson because Lewis, everyone now knows from what has been revealed about US track in the 80's, was doped to the gills to but he can go around callying himself the best athlete ever, though in some ways he is.

But i saw today that lewis was boasting about how he is the only man in history to retain 100m gold.

Now that is unfair. he did the same things as johnson who beat him bad in that olympics, i don't think he can call himself the winner like that anymore.

Agreed and sounds too familiar. Drug for drug Lewis was no match for Ben...both pathetic doping reservoirs.

 

[thehog]

Didn't Carl Lewis test positive during the trials for the Olympics.?

Carl did in 88 3 times! as did 100's of others. It was covered up. He also has a ever changing face and jaw line due to GH abuse. He started wearing braces for his teeth and had severe acne in his mid 30's!

Reading below you could sub Lance for Carl....
----

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay

Carl Lewis has broken his silence on allegations that he was the beneficiary of a drugs cover-up, admitting he had tested positive for banned substances but claiming he was just one of "hundreds" of American athletes who were allowed to escape bans.

"There were hundreds of people getting off," he said. "Everyone was treated the same."

Lewis has now acknowledged that he failed three tests during the 1988 US Olympic trials, which under international rules at the time should have prevented him from competing in the Seoul games two months later.

The admission is a further embarrassment for the United States Olympic Committee, which had initially denied claims that 114 positive tests between 1988 and 2000 were covered up. It will add weight to calls by leading anti-doping officials and top athletes for an independent inquiry into the US's record on drug issues.

 

[usedtobefast]

Ben Johnson was amazing in the Olympics that year. seriously bloodshot eyes but so fast. I was not surprised he got popped. just sad. everybody there would have tested positive.imo.
he was fast, nonetheless.
one of the most baddazz sprinters ever.

 

[pedaling squares]

9.79 nearly 25 years ago, shutting it down at the 85 metre mark. That was badazz alright. The whole race was a chemistry experiment, but it was cool nonetheless.

10.7 at 49 years old is pretty badazz too.

 

[thehog]

9.79 nearly 25 years ago, shutting it down at the 85 metre mark. That was badazz alright. The whole race was a chemistry experiment, but it was cool nonetheless.

10.7 at 49 years old is pretty badazz too.

7 of the finalist were Jamican descendants in that race.... eyes weren't bloodshot they were yellow. Steroid tell tail sign. Ben was so mean in that race. Lewis messed up the race bad. He kept looking across at Johnson mid race. No one derserves the gold medal running like that.

 

[Stravoski]

The whole race was a chemistry experiment

It sure was. And so was a certain number of races of that type (100 meters) at that level, prior to the 1988 final.
And every major 100 meter event since then.

I doubt that it is even possible to run a sub 10 second 100 meters without the use of performance enhancing drugs.

 

[Benotti69]

It sure was. And so was a certain number of races of that type (100 meters) at that level, prior to the 1988 final.
And every major 100 meter event since then.

I doubt that it is even possible to run a sub 10 second 100 meters without the use of performance enhancing drugs.

yep. this is truly still the pharmacists gold medal race.

 

[Dave_1]

Ben Johnson won the 1988 100m Gold . Lewis and Christie have little cred.

 

[usedtobefast]

that right they were yellow(eyes) i was remembering bloodshot.fing fast guy.

 

[function]

I doubt that it is even possible to run a sub 10 second 100 meters without the use of performance enhancing drugs.

Someone should tell those highschoolers they are the ultimate human sprinters!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_high_school_national_records_in_track_and_field

 

[hiccuphell]

Ben Cheet-ahs all the time

Sigh....

(skip to 1:40)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqvqyOBCi0w

 

[silverrocket]

Sigh....

(skip to 1:40)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqvqyOBCi0w

I used to run track, before turning to racing bikes, and Ben Johnson was a hero of mine. I was obviously aware of how the mighty had fallen, but that YouTube clip took it to a whole new level. I actually felt both sad and nauseous. Even Ben kinds of looks at the floor, embarrassed at having to stoop to that level.

 

[snackattack]

9.79*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Skg3-eoxq4#!

 

[martinvickers]

Its a sad story with Johnson because Lewis, everyone now knows from what has been revealed about US track in the 80's, was doped to the gills to but he can go around callying himself the best athlete ever, though in some ways he is.

But i saw today that lewis was boasting about how he is the only man in history to retain 100m gold. .

But there is a direct line from all this to Armstrong.

It was partly the USOC embarresment over some of the Lewis crap coming out that LED to the Feds coming down heavy in the BALCO case, eventually destroying Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery (quite rightly) in the process.

And it was the aftershocks of that BALCO case that started to make USADA take this **** more seriously, AND co-operate more closely with the Feds, which led directly to the downfall of Armstrong.

The arc of history is long, and all that...