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Ben Johnson

File:Ben Johnson 1988 Olympics - LAC a175370k.jpg Ben Johnson (center) in 1988
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's athletics
Olympic Games
	1984 Los Angeles	100 m
	1984 Los Angeles	4x100 m relay Template:MedalDisqualified
World Championships Template:MedalDisqualified

Benjamin Sinclair "Ben" Johnson CM (born December 30, 1961) is a former Canadian sprinter who enjoyed a high-profile career during most of the 1980s, winning two Olympic Bronze medals, and an Olympic Gold which was subsequently rescinded. He set consecutive 100 m world records at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics and the 1988 Summer Olympics, but he was disqualified for doping, losing the Olympic title and both records.

Career Background

Born in Falmouth, Jamaica, Johnson emigrated to Canada in 1976, residing in Scarborough, Ontario.

Johnson met coach Charlie Francis and joined the Scarborough Optimists track and field club, training at York University. Francis was a Canadian 100 metre sprint champion himself (1970, 1971 and 1973) and a member of the Canadian team for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Francis was also Canada's national sprint coach for nine years.

Johnson's first international success came when he won two silver medals at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia. He finished behind Allan Wells of Scotland in the 100 m with a time of 10.05 seconds and was a member of the Canadian 4x100 m relay team. This success was not repeated at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, where he was eliminated in the semi-finals, finishing 6th with a time of 10.44.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he reached the 100m final; after false starting in an attempt to rattle Carl Lewis, he won the bronze medal behind Lewis and Sam Graddy with a time of 10.22. He also won a bronze medal with the Canadian 4x100 m relay team of Johnson, Tony Sharpe, Desai Williams, and Sterling Hinds, who ran a time of 38.70. By the end of the 1984 season, Johnson had established himself as Canada's top sprinter, and on August 22 in Zurich, Switzerland, he bettered Williams' Canadian record of 10.17 by running 10.12.

In 1985, after seven consecutive losses, Johnson finally beat Carl Lewis. Other success against Lewis included the 1986 Goodwill Games, where Johnson beat Lewis, running 9.95 for first place, against Lewis' third-place time of 10.06. He broke Houston McTear's seven-year old world record in the 60 metres in 1986, with a time of 6.50 seconds. He also won Commonwealth gold at the 1986 games in Edinburgh, beating a young Linford Christie for the 100 m title with a time of 10.07. Johnson also led the Canadian 4x100 m relay team to gold, and won a bronze in the 200 m.

By the time of the 1987 World Championships, Johnson had won his four previous races with Lewis and had established himself as the best 100 m sprinter. At Rome, Johnson gained instant world fame and confirmed this status when he beat Lewis for the title, setting a new world record of 9.83 seconds as well, beating Calvin Smith's former record by a full tenth of a second.

After Rome, Johnson became a lucrative marketing celebrity. According to coach Charlie Francis, after breaking the world record, Johnson earned about $480,000 a month in endorsements. Johnson won both the Lou Marsh Trophy and Lionel Conacher Award, and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year for 1987. On April 29, 1987, Ben Johnson was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. "World record holder for the indoor 60-meter run, this Ontarian has proved himself to be the world's fastest human being and has broken Canadian, Commonwealth and World Cup 100-meter records," it read. "Recipient of the Norton Crowe Award for Male Athlete of the Year for 1985, 'Big Ben' was the winner of the 1986 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete."

Following Johnson's defeat of Lewis in Rome, Lewis started trying to explain away his defeat. He first claimed that Johnson had false-started, then he alluded to a stomach virus which had weakened him. Finally, without naming names, Lewis said "There are a lot of people coming out of nowhere. I don’t think they are doing it without drugs." This was the start of Lewis’ calling on the sport of track and field to be cleaned up in terms of the illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. While cynics noted that the problem had been in the sport for many years, they pointed out that it didn’t become a cause for Lewis until he was actually defeated, with some also pointing to Lewis's egotistical attitude and lack of humility. During a controversial interview with the BBC, Lewis said:

“There are gold medallists at this meet who are on drugs”,

“That (100 metres) race will be looked at for many years, for more reasons than one.”

Johnson's response was:

“When Carl Lewis was winning everything, I never said a word against him. And when the next guy comes along and beats me, I won’t complain about that either.”

This set up the rivalry leading into the 1988 Olympic Games.

Olympic scandal

In almost every way, 1988 was not a good year for Johnson. In February of that year he pulled a hamstring, and in May he aggravated the same injury. Meanwhile in Paris in June, Lewis ran a 9.99. Then in Zurich, Switzerland on August 17, the two faced each other for the first time since the 1987 World Championships, Lewis won in 9.93, while Johnson finished third in 10.00. "The gold medal for the (Olympic) 100 meters is mine," Lewis said. "I will never again lose to Johnson."

On September 24, Johnson beat Lewis in the 100m final at the Olympics, lowering his own world record to 9.79 seconds. Johnson would later remark that he would have been even faster had he not raised his hand in the air just before he finished the race. However, Johnson's urine samples were found to contain Stanozolol, and he was disqualified three days later. He later admitted having used steroids when he ran his 1987 world record, which caused the IAAF to rescind that record as well. But Johnson and hundreds of other athletes have long complained that they used doping in order to remain on an equal footing with the other top athletes on drugs they had to compete against.

His claim bears some weight in light of the revelations since 1988. Including Johnson, four of the top five finishers of the 100-meter race have all tested positive for banned drugs at some point in their careers: Carl Lewis, who was given the gold medal, Linford Christie who was moved up to the silver medal, and Dennis Mitchell. Of these, only Johnson was forced to give up his records and his medals, although he was the only one of the four who tested positive or admitted using drugs during a medal-winning performance. Later, Christie was caught using steroids and banned, although it has to be said that he was found to have metabolites of nandrolone in his urine which has been shown to be able to be produced by taking legal nutritional supplements that may erroneously contain metabolites of nandrolone (Tseng YL, Kuo FH and Sun KH, 2005) and hence may have been accidental as in numerous other doping cases relating to nandrolone. According to documents released in 2003 by a former senior US anti-doping official, Dr. Wade Exum, Lewis and two of his training partners all took the same three types of banned stimulants (ones found in over-the-counter cold medicine), and were caught at the 1988 US Olympic trials, the competition used to select the US athletes for the Olympics. Lewis had the test results overturned, however, as the use was found to be inadvertent and the result of using legal medication, not illegally obtained prescription drugs. Johnson's coach, Charlie Francis, a vocal critic of the IOC testing procedures, is the author of Speed Trap, which features Johnson heavily. In the book, he freely admits that his athletes were taking anabolic steroids, as he claims all top athletes are, but also shows why Ben Johnson could not possibly have tested positive for that particular steroid. Johnson actually preferred Furazabol. He thought Stanozolol made his body "feel tight".

The Canadian Reaction To 9.79 seconds

Canadians rejoiced in the reflected glory of winning the gold medal and breaking the world record.

Newspapers covered the occasion by concocting words such as "Benfastic" (Toronto Star, September 25, 1988) to describe it. Two days later, Canadians witnessed the downfall of Ben Johnson when he was stripped of his gold medal and world record. In the first week following the dethroning, Canadian newspapers devoted between five to eight pages a day to the story. Some squarely placed the blame on Johnson, such as one headline right after the exposure suggests: "Why Ben? Why? Why did you do it?" (Toronto Sun, September 26, 1988).

Because of the Olympic scandal, The Canadian news agency, Canadian Press, named Johnson "Newsmaker of the Year" for 1988.

The Dubin Inquiry

After the Seoul test, he initially denied doping, but, testifying before the 1989 Dubin Inquiry, a Canadian government investigation into drug abuse, Johnson admitted that he had lied. Charlie Francis, his coach, told the inquiry that Johnson had been using steroids since 1981.

In Canada, the federal government established the Commission of Inquiry Into the Use of Drugs and Banned Practices Intended to Increase Athletic Performance, headed by Ontario Appeal Court Chief Justice Charles Dubin. The Dubin Inquiry (as it became known), which was televised live, heard hundreds of hours of testimony about the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs among athletes. The inquiry began in January 1989 and lasted 91 days, with 122 witnesses called, including athletes, coaches, sport administrators, IOC representatives, doctors and government officials.

Comeback

In 1991, after his suspension ended, he attempted a comeback, but without much success. He only made it to the semi-finals of the 100 meters during 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona.

In 1993, he was found guilty of doping at a race in Montreal - this time for excess testosterone - and was subsequently banned for life by the IAAF. Federal amateur sport minister Pierre Cadieux called Johnson a national disgrace, and suggested he consider moving back to Jamaica. Johnson commented that it was "by far the most disgusting comment ever heard."

Johnson / Gadhafi connection

In 1999 Johnson made headlines again when it was revealed that he had been hired by Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi to act as a soccer coach for his son, Al-Saadi Qadhafi, who aspired to join an Italian soccer club. Al-Saadi ultimately did join an Italian team but was sacked after one game when he failed a drug test. Johnson's publicist in Canada had predicted in The Globe and Mail that his training of the young Qadhafi would earn Johnson a Nobel Peace Prize.

Johnson also briefly acted as trainer for Argentine football legend Diego Armando Maradona in 1997.

Late 1990s and beyond

In 1998, Ben Johnson appeared in a charity race in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where he raced against a race horse and a stock car. Johnson finished third in the race.

According to a 1998 article in Outside magazine, Ben Johnson spent much of the latter part of the 1990s living downstairs in the house he shared with his mother and sister. He spent his leisure time reading, watching movies and Roadrunner cartoons, and taking his mother to church. He lived in a spacious home in Newmarket, Ontario's Stonehaven neighborhood. He claims to have lost his Ferrari when he used it as collateral for a loan from an acquaintance in order to make a house payment.

In May 2005, Johnson launched a clothing and sports supplement line, the Ben Johnson Collection. The motto for Johnson's clothing line is "Catch Me."

In a January 1 2006 interview Johnson claimed that he was sabotaged by a "Mystery Man" inside the doping-control room immediately following the 100m final in Seoul. He also stated that 40% of people in the sports world are still taking drugs to improve their performance.

In March 2006, television spots featuring Johnson advertising an energy drink, "Cheetah Power Surge", started to receive some airtime. Some pundits questioned whether Johnson was an appropriate spokesperson for an all natural energy drink considering his history of steroid use.

One ad is a mock interview between Johnson and Frank D'Angelo, the president and chief executive of D'Angelo Brands, which makes the drink, in which he asks Johnson: "Ben, when you run, do you Cheetah?". "Absolutely," says Johnson. "I Cheetah all the time."

The other commercial includes Johnson and a cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, and encourages viewers to "go ahead and Cheetah."

Presently, Johnson spends much of his time with his daughter and granddaughter. He also continues to coach.

Quotes

• "Don't tell me I cheated the system because that's . I didn't get treated fairly by the system. They cast me out and they were jealous because I turned in the fastest time ever run by a human and it was impossible at the time."

• "We're not friends, never been, never will. Carl Lewis could never beat me on the track or off."

• "We need to show good faith for the young kids, the next generation coming up. Today, I tell the kids don't use drugs, because it's bad for you."

• "I did something good in my life. My mom and dad saw me run faster than any human, and that's it. Better than a gold medal."

See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
• World record progression 100 metres men

• Charlie Francis

References

1. "Johnson, Bubka Set Indoor Records". Washington Post. 1986-01-16. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
2. ^ Ambition, naivety and tantalising prospect of inheriting the world
3. Ben Johnson - finally happy
4. Banned for life
5. PLUS: RUNNING; Johnson Is Third In Charity Race
6. Ben Still Needs to Run
7. Johnson makes drugs claims
8. Johnson claims he was sabotaged by Jackson
9. Cheetah Power Surge: breaking all the rules
10. Report: Ben Johnson endorsing sports drink
11. ^ Ben Johnson video
13. Johnson has been slow to admit wrongdoing
14. Johnson claims Lewis took part in drug-test conspiracy

• Tseng YL, Kuo FH and Sun KH, Quantification and profiling of 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone in human urine after consumption of a nutritional supplement and norsteroids, J Anal Toxicol, 2005 Mar;29(2):124-34.
• Speed Trap (1991) ISBN 0-312-04877-7

External links

• Ben Johnson Collection Official Website.
• 1988: Gold for Johnson in 100m sprint On This Day, September 24, BBC News.
• Video clip of Ben Johnson's comments after losing his gold medal in 1988
• Cover of the "Why Ben?" edition of the Toronto Sun - 1988
• CBC Digital Archives: Running Off Track: The Ben Johnson Story
• Order of Canada
• video of Ben Johnson wins in the seoul olympic games

Awards
Preceded by Wayne Gretzky	Lou Marsh Trophy winner 1986, 1987	Succeeded by Carolyn Waldo
Preceded by Diego Maradona	United Press International Athlete of the Year 1987	Succeeded by Matt Biondi
Preceded by Larry Bird	Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year 1987	Succeeded by Orel Hershiser
Preceded by Yuriy Syedikh	Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year 1987	Succeeded by Sergey Bubka

• 1961 births
• Black Canadian sportspeople
• Jamaican immigrants to Canada
• Olympic athletes of Canada
• Athletes at the 1988 Summer Olympics
• Athletes at the 1992 Summer Olympics
• Olympic bronze medalists for Canada
• Athletes at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
• Canadian sportspeople in doping cases
• Ben Johnson doping case
• Living people
• Members of the Order of Canada
• Ontario sportspeople
• Canadian sprinters
• Canadian track and field athletes
• People from Scarborough, Toronto