| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Ben Johnson (center) in 1988 | |||
Competitor for  Canada | |||
| Men's athletics | |||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Bronze | 1984 Los Angeles | 100 m | |
| Bronze | 1984 Los Angeles | 4x100 m relay | |
| Disqualified | 1988 Seoul | 100 m | |
| World Championships | |||
| Disqualified | 1987 Rome | 100 m | |
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career during most of the 1980s, winning two Olympic Bronze medals, and an Olympic Gold which was subsequently rescinded. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, 41 events in athletics were contested 24 events by men and 17 by women The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, The 4 x 100 metres relay races at the 1984 Summer Olympics was contested as part of the athletics program. The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event staged in 1988 in The men's 100 m at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul South Korea ended in controversy after Canada's Ben Johnson defeated defending champion The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page 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. The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event staged in 1988 in
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Career Background
Born in Falmouth, Jamaica, Johnson emigrated to Canada in 1976, residing in Scarborough, Ontario. Falmouth is the chief town and capital of Trelawny parish Jamaica. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Scarborough (ˈskɑrˌbəroʊ ( 2001 Census 593297 is the area that forms the eastern part of the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Johnson met coach Charlie Francis and joined the Scarborough Optimists track and field club, training at York University. Charles Francis (born on October 13, 1948 in Toronto Ontario) is a sprint coach most noteworthy for being the trainer of sprinter Ben Johnson York University (Université York is a public Research university located in Toronto, Ontario. 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. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. 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. The Commonwealth Games is a multinational Multi-sport event. Held every four years it involves the elite athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland He finished behind Allan Wells of Scotland in the 100 m with a time of 10. Allan Wipper Wells MBE (born 3 May 1952 is a former Scottish athlete who became Olympic Champion in the 100 metres at the 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. Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. 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. The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Frederick Carlton ("Carl" Lewis (born July 1 1961 is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds and 10 Samuel Louis ("Sam" Graddy III (born February 10, 1964) is a former American athlete and American football player 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. The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s 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. Houston McTear (born February 12, 1957 in Okaloosa County Florida) is a former American sprinter, who emerged from desperate 60 metres is a sprint event in Track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 50 seconds[1]. 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. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Linford Christie OBE (born April 2, 1960) is a former world class athlete, and the only British man to win Olympic World Commonwealth and European 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. The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in 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. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 83 seconds as well, beating Calvin Smith's former record by a full tenth of a second. Calvin Smith (born January 8, 1961 in Bolton Mississippi) is a former sprint athlete from the United States. The first record in the 100 m for men ( athletics) was recognised by the International Amateur Athletics Federation now known as the International Association
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. The Lou Marsh Trophy, also known as the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and Lou Marsh Award is a trophy that is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete professional or The Lionel Conacher Award is an annual award given to Canada 's male athlete of the year The first Athlete of the Year award in the United States was initiated by the Associated Press (AP in 1931. On April 29, 1987, Ben Johnson was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin "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. "
After Johnson defeated Lewis in Rome, Lewis started 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: [2]
- “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. The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in 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. "[2] However, it was not to be.
On September 24, Johnson beat Lewis in the 100m final at the Olympics, lowering his own world record to 9. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event staged in 1988 in 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. Stanozolol, commonly sold under the name Winstrol (oral and Winstrol Depot (intra-muscular was developed by Winthrop Laboratories in 1962 He later admitted having used steroids when he ran his 1987 world record, which caused the IAAF to rescind that record as well. The International Association of Athletics Federations ( IAAF) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. 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[3], who was given the gold medal, Linford Christie who was moved up to the silver medal, and Dennis Mitchell. Frederick Carlton ("Carl" Lewis (born July 1 1961 is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds and 10 Linford Christie OBE (born April 2, 1960) is a former world class athlete, and the only British man to win Olympic World Commonwealth and European For the US comic strip character named Dennis Mitchell see Dennis the Menace Dennis Allen Mitchell (born February 20, 1966 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. Nandrolone is an Anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0 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. Over-the-counter (OTC drugs are medicines that may be sold without a prescription, in contrast to Prescription drugs The name "over-the-counter" 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. Charles Francis (born on October 13, 1948 in Toronto Ontario) is a sprint coach most noteworthy for being the trainer of sprinter Ben Johnson 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. Anabolic steroids, or anabolic-androgenic steroids ( AAS) are a class of Steroid hormones related to the hormone Testosterone. Johnson actually preferred Furazabol. Furazabol ( Miotolan) is a derivative of the Anabolic steroid Stanozolol. 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 Ben, 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 Canadian Press (often abbreviated as CP) is Canada 's national News agency established in 1917 as a vehicle to permit Canadian newspapers of the day The Canadian Newsmaker of the Year is an award voted every year since 1946 by the Canadian Press. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)
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. Charles L Dubin, OC, OOnt, QC (born 1921 is a Canadian Lawyer and former Chief Justice of Ontario 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. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. 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. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec The International Association of Athletics Federations ( IAAF) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. Federal amateur sport minister Pierre Cadieux called Johnson a national disgrace, and suggested he consider moving back to Jamaica. Pierre H Cadieux (born April 6 1948) is a lawyer and former Canadian politician Johnson commented that it was "by far the most disgusting comment [he had] ever heard. "[4]
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. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi 1 (معمر القذافي) (born 7 June 1942) also known as Colonel Gaddafi This article refers to the act of coaching people For other uses of the word see Coach (disambiguation Coaching -a definitionProminent Al-Saadi Qadhafi (الساعدي معمر القذافي (born May 28 1973 in Tripoli) is the son of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi and a professional 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. The Globe and Mail is a Canadian English language nationally distributed Newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities The Nobel Peace Prize ( Swedish, Danish and Nobels fredspris is one of five Nobel Prizes Bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor
Johnson also briefly acted as trainer for Argentine soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona in 1997. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered
Late 1990s and beyond
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. Newmarket ( 2006 Population 74295 is a Town located approximately 45 km north of Toronto, Ontario 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. Ferrari SpA is an Italian Sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy [5]
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 [6] Johnson claimed that he was sabotaged by a "Mystery Man"[7] inside the doping-control room immediately following the 100m final in Seoul. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 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. Energy drinks are Soft drinks advertised as providing more Energy than a typical drink Some pundits questioned whether Johnson was an appropriate spokesperson for an all natural energy drink considering his history of steroid use. [8] [9]
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. "[10]
The other commercial includes Johnson and a cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, and encourages viewers to "go ahead and Cheetah. "[10]
Presently, Johnson spends much of his time with his daughter and granddaughter. He also continues to coach. [11]
Quotes
- "Don't tell me I cheated the system because that's [expletive]," he says. "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. " [12]
- "We're not friends, never been, never will. Carl Lewis[13] could never beat me on the track or off. Frederick Carlton ("Carl" Lewis (born July 1 1961 is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds and 10 "
- "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
References
- ^ "Johnson, Bubka Set Indoor Records", Washington Post, January 16, 1986. Charles Francis (born on October 13, 1948 in Toronto Ontario) is a sprint coach most noteworthy for being the trainer of sprinter Ben Johnson The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D
- ^ a b Ambition, naivety and tantalising prospect of inheriting the world
- ^ Ben Johnson blames Carl Lewis for positive test
- ^ Banned for life
- ^ Ben Still Needs to Run
- ^ Johnson makes drugs claims
- ^ Johnson claims he was sabotaged by Jackson
- ^ Cheetah Power Surge: breaking all the rules
- ^ Report: Ben Johnson endorsing sports drink
- ^ a b Ben Johnson video
- ^ [1]
- ^ Johnson has been slow to admit wrongdoing
- ^ 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
| 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 |
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