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The 1988 Olympic 100 metres final was one of the most dramatic races in the history of the Games. Ben Johnson may have failed a drugs test and been stripped of his gold medal but, as Lee Honeyball writes, he was not the only guilty athlete on that famous afternoon in Seoul
Sunday 1 August 2004
Observer Sport Monthly
Of the eight athletes who competed in the 100metres final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics - the most explosive and exhilarating race ever run - five have failed drugs tests. The first came within hours. Ben Johnson, who had blasted to victory in a then world-record time of 9.79 seconds, tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol and was stripped of his gold.
The race had been badly tarnished, but the cheat, held up as the embodiment of disgrace by the athletes who had trailed in his wake, had been outed and the rightful winner, Carl Lewis, had been found. Or had he?
The warning signs were originally ignored. In a rare interview in 1996, Johnson said: 'Yes, I was taking steroids, but so were others on the starting line that day. They know it. I know it. That's all that counts. If people are naive enough to believe that athletes don't take drugs, that is their problem.'
Over the past eight years Johnson's claims - dismissed at the time as being those of an embittered man - have gained more credence. Doubts about the others may have taken longer to surface, but four of the athletes who toiled behind Johnson that afternoon in Seoul have now failed tests. And who knows today, after the Balco scandal, which athletes are clean and which are cheats?
1 DENNIS MITCHELL
Time: 10.04
Position: 4th
Banned for two years after testing positive for excessive levels of testosterone in 1998. The American's defence of 'five bottles of beer and sex with his wife at least four times' the night before giving the urine sample saw him cleared by USA Track & Field, but not by the IAAF. Now 38, he works as an athletics coach in Florida.
2 DESAI WILLIAMS
Time: 10.11
Position: 6th
Williams was, at 29, the oldest runner in the field. He never figured prominently in the race despite running a personal best. He was implicated in the Canadian government's 1989 inquiry into the use of performance-enhancing drugs by their athletes and later admitted to using steroids. He is now a coach based in Toronto.
3 BEN JOHNSON
Time: 9.79
Position: Disqualified
After being stripped of gold in Seoul, Johnson returned to athletics two years later but failed a second test in 1993 and was banned for life. 'I could have run 9.72 if I had not shut down at 94 metres,' he says of his world record run. Now 42, he lives in Toronto where has set up a clothes label. 'I don't watch the sport any more. It's a waste of time. Nobody impresses me.'
4 CALVIN SMITH
Time: 9.99
Position: Bronze
The former world-record holder is the only man in the first five still untarnished by drug allegations. 'I should have been the gold medallist,' he has said. 'During the last five years of my career I knew I was being denied the chance to show I was the best clean runner.' Now 43, he teaches English literature in Tampa, Florida.
5 LINFORD CHRISTIE
Time: 9.97
Position: Silver
Following the final, Christie failed a drugs test for the stimulant ephedrine, but was later cleared on appeal after convincing the panel he had taken it inadvertently when drinking ginseng tea. The 1992 Olympic gold medallist then received a two-year ban in 1999 after testing positive for nandrolone. Now 44, he works as an athletics coach and television presenter.
6 CARL LEWIS
Time: 9.92
Position: Gold
Known for sanctimonious speeches against opponents who took drugs, it emerged last year that Lewis failed three tests at the 1988 Olympic trials (these were covered up at the time). The American Olympic body accepted his appeal that he had innocently taken a herbal supplement. Now 43, he is pursuing a career as an actor and fitness coach.
7 RAY STEWART
Time: 12.26
Position: Last
Having been runner-up in the previous year's world championships, Stewart trailed in last, suffering from a leg injury. 'Based on what happened after the Olympics, everyone was on drugs,' he says. 'There was a lot more [drug taking going on] than people were hearing about.' Now 39, Stewart is an athletics coach in Texas.
8 ROBSON DE SILVA
Time: 10.11
Position: 5th
De Silva may have struggled to keep up in the 100m final, but he did win a medal at the Seoul Games - a silver in the 200m. 'I just remember watching Ben Johnson's back,' he said recently. 'He was moving as if at the speed of light. He was just incredible.' Since retiring in 1997, de Silva has returned to Rio de Janeiro where he works as an athletics commentator.
Sunday 1 August 2004
Observer Sport Monthly
Of the eight athletes who competed in the 100metres final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics - the most explosive and exhilarating race ever run - five have failed drugs tests. The first came within hours. Ben Johnson, who had blasted to victory in a then world-record time of 9.79 seconds, tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol and was stripped of his gold.
The race had been badly tarnished, but the cheat, held up as the embodiment of disgrace by the athletes who had trailed in his wake, had been outed and the rightful winner, Carl Lewis, had been found. Or had he?
The warning signs were originally ignored. In a rare interview in 1996, Johnson said: 'Yes, I was taking steroids, but so were others on the starting line that day. They know it. I know it. That's all that counts. If people are naive enough to believe that athletes don't take drugs, that is their problem.'
Over the past eight years Johnson's claims - dismissed at the time as being those of an embittered man - have gained more credence. Doubts about the others may have taken longer to surface, but four of the athletes who toiled behind Johnson that afternoon in Seoul have now failed tests. And who knows today, after the Balco scandal, which athletes are clean and which are cheats?
1 DENNIS MITCHELL
Time: 10.04
Position: 4th
Banned for two years after testing positive for excessive levels of testosterone in 1998. The American's defence of 'five bottles of beer and sex with his wife at least four times' the night before giving the urine sample saw him cleared by USA Track & Field, but not by the IAAF. Now 38, he works as an athletics coach in Florida.
2 DESAI WILLIAMS
Time: 10.11
Position: 6th
Williams was, at 29, the oldest runner in the field. He never figured prominently in the race despite running a personal best. He was implicated in the Canadian government's 1989 inquiry into the use of performance-enhancing drugs by their athletes and later admitted to using steroids. He is now a coach based in Toronto.
3 BEN JOHNSON
Time: 9.79
Position: Disqualified
After being stripped of gold in Seoul, Johnson returned to athletics two years later but failed a second test in 1993 and was banned for life. 'I could have run 9.72 if I had not shut down at 94 metres,' he says of his world record run. Now 42, he lives in Toronto where has set up a clothes label. 'I don't watch the sport any more. It's a waste of time. Nobody impresses me.'
4 CALVIN SMITH
Time: 9.99
Position: Bronze
The former world-record holder is the only man in the first five still untarnished by drug allegations. 'I should have been the gold medallist,' he has said. 'During the last five years of my career I knew I was being denied the chance to show I was the best clean runner.' Now 43, he teaches English literature in Tampa, Florida.
5 LINFORD CHRISTIE
Time: 9.97
Position: Silver
Following the final, Christie failed a drugs test for the stimulant ephedrine, but was later cleared on appeal after convincing the panel he had taken it inadvertently when drinking ginseng tea. The 1992 Olympic gold medallist then received a two-year ban in 1999 after testing positive for nandrolone. Now 44, he works as an athletics coach and television presenter.
6 CARL LEWIS
Time: 9.92
Position: Gold
Known for sanctimonious speeches against opponents who took drugs, it emerged last year that Lewis failed three tests at the 1988 Olympic trials (these were covered up at the time). The American Olympic body accepted his appeal that he had innocently taken a herbal supplement. Now 43, he is pursuing a career as an actor and fitness coach.
7 RAY STEWART
Time: 12.26
Position: Last
Having been runner-up in the previous year's world championships, Stewart trailed in last, suffering from a leg injury. 'Based on what happened after the Olympics, everyone was on drugs,' he says. 'There was a lot more [drug taking going on] than people were hearing about.' Now 39, Stewart is an athletics coach in Texas.
8 ROBSON DE SILVA
Time: 10.11
Position: 5th
De Silva may have struggled to keep up in the 100m final, but he did win a medal at the Seoul Games - a silver in the 200m. 'I just remember watching Ben Johnson's back,' he said recently. 'He was moving as if at the speed of light. He was just incredible.' Since retiring in 1997, de Silva has returned to Rio de Janeiro where he works as an athletics commentator.