NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ben Johnson (sprinter)

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career during most of the 1980s, winning two Olympic Bronze medals, and an Olympic Gold which was subsequently rescinded.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. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A womens 400 m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... Music sample: Olympic Fanfare and Theme ( file info) â€” composed by John Williams for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Problems listening to the file? See media help. ... Athletics Medal Winners at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Mens medal winners Womenâ€™s Medal Winners External links Zola Budd Categories: ‪1984 Summer Olympics events‬ | ‪Athletics at the Olympics‬ ... Music sample: Olympic Fanfare and Theme ( file info) â€” composed by John Williams for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Problems listening to the file? See media help. ... Johnson winning the 100 m final The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ... The Mens 100m at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea ended in controversy, after Canadas Ben Johnson defeated defending champion Carl Lewis from the United States with a world record time of 9. ... The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. ... The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6. ... Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country (Hebrews 11. ... is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A womens 400 m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland. ... (Redirected from 100 m) 100m is the classic sprint race distance. ... The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6. ... Johnson winning the 100 m final The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ... In sports, doping refers to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, particularly those that are forbidden by the organizations that regulate competitions. ...

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 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Country Canada Province Ontario Established 1 January 1850 (township) 1 January 1967 (borough) Incorporated Amalgamation June 1983 (city) 1 January 1998 Government - Mayor David Miller (Toronto Mayor) - Governing Body Toronto City Council - MPs John Cannis, Jim Karygiannis, Derek Lee, John McKay, Dan McTeague, Tom Wappel - MPPs Bas Balkissoon, Lorenzo Berardinetti...

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. Charlie Francis, a former sprinter was coach to a number of Canadian sprinters including Ben Johnson. ... York University (French: UniversitÃ© York), located in Toronto, Ontario, is Canadas third-largest university and has produced several of the countrys top leaders in the fields of law, politics, literature, philosophy, journalism, management, meteorological, chemical, and space sciences, and fine arts including film, theatre, jazz and experimental music... This article is about the unit of length. ... The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ...

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. Current flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation Locations of the games, and participating countries Commonwealth Games Federation seal, adopted in 2001 The Commonwealth Games is a multinational, multi-sport event. ... This article is about the Australian city. ... Allan Wipper Wells (born May 3, 1952) MBE is a former Scottish athlete who became Olympic Champion in the 100 m at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Province Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government - Mayor Jussi Pajunen Area - Total 187. ...

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. Music sample: Olympic Fanfare and Theme ( file info) â€” composed by John Williams for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Problems listening to the file? See media help. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ... Frederick Carlton Carl Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds (He received the gold medal in the 100 meters in 1988 Olympics after Ben Johnson was disqualified for using drugs), and 10 World Championships medals, of... Samuel Louis Sam Graddy III (born February 10, 1964) is a former American athlete and American football player, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 1984 Summer Olympics. ...

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^[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 10.07. Johnson also led the Canadian 4x100 m relay team to gold, and won a bronze in the 200 m. Logo of the 2nd Games in Seattle 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. ... Houston McTear (born February 12, 1957 in Okaloosa County, Florida) is a former American sprinter, who emerged from the Florida Panhandle in the mid-1970s as a young star[1]. McTear recorded an 9. ... This article is about the sprint event. ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... Linford Christie, OBE (born April 2, 1960) is a former athlete, and the only English man to win Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European 100 m gold medals. ...

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. The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Calvin Smith (born January 8, 1961) is a former sprint athlete from the United States. ... World Record Progression 100 m Men (1912-2005) with a logarithmic regression estimating: Time/100m = -0. ...

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." The Lou Marsh Trophy is awarded annually by a panel of journalists in recognition of Canadas top athlete. ... Lionel Conacher Award is an annual award given to Canadas best male athlete. ... In 1931, the first and most prestigious Athlete of the Year award in the United States was initiated by the Associated Press (AP). ... Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country (Hebrews 11. ...

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] For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

Olympic scandal

But, 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."^[2] However, it was not to be. The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6. ...

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. is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Johnson winning the 100 m final The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ... Stanozolol, commonly sold under the name Winstrol (oral) and Winstrol Depot (intra-muscular), was developed by Winthrop Laboratories in 1962. ... The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics (known in the US as track and field). It was founded in 1912 at its first Congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation. ...

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. 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. Frederick Carlton Carl Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds (He received the gold medal in the 100 meters in 1988 Olympics after Ben Johnson was disqualified for using drugs), and 10 World Championships medals, of... Linford Christie, OBE (born April 2, 1960) is a former athlete, and the only English man to win Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European 100 m gold medals. ... Dennis Allen Mitchell (born February 20, 1966) is a former American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 1992 Summer Olympics. ... Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid occurring naturally in the human body, albeit in small quantities. ... Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that may be sold without a prescription, in contrast to 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". Charlie Francis, a former sprinter was coach to a number of Canadian sprinters including Ben Johnson. ... Anabolic steroids are a class of natural and synthetic steroid hormones that promote cell growth and division, resulting in growth of muscle tissue and sometimes bone size and strength. ... Pharmaceutical Name: Furazabol Chemical structure: 17-alpha-methyl-5-alpha-androsta-2,3-furazan,17b-ol Molecular weight of base: 330. ...

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 (CP) is a Canadian news agency established in 1917 as a vehicle to permit Canadian newspapers of the day to exchange their news and information. ... A Canadian Newsmaker of the Year has been 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. 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. The Honourable Charles L. Dubin is a Canadian lawyer and former Chief Justice of Ontario. ...

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. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...

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 [he had] ever heard."^[4] Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region MontrÃ©al Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government - Mayor GÃ©rald Tremblay Area [1][2][3] - City 365. ... The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics (known in the US as track and field). It was founded in 1912 at its first Congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation. ... The Honourable Pierre H. Cadieux (born April 6, 1948) is a lawyer and former Canadian politician. ...

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. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi1 (Arabic: ) (born c. ... A coach is a person who supports people (clients) to achieve their goals, with goal setting, encouragement and questions. ... Al-Saadi Qadhafi (Arabic: Ø§Ù„Ø³Ø§Ø¹Ø¯ÙŠ Ù…Ø¹Ù…Ø± Ø§Ù„Ù‚Ø°Ø§ÙÙŠ) (born May 28, 1973, in Tripoli) is the son of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. ... The Globe and Mail is a Canadian English-language nationally distributed newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ...

Johnson also briefly acted as trainer for Argentine soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona in 1997. Soccer redirects here. ... Maradona and the World Cup trophy Diego Armando Maradona (El Diego) (born October 30, 1960) is a former Argentine football player. ...

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. 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.^[5] Newmarket (2006 Population 74,295) is a town located approximately 45 km north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... This article is about the automobile manufacturer. ...

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. He also stated that 40% of people in the sports world are still taking drugs to improve their performance. is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. ^[8] ^[9] A variety of energy drinks are available; the skinny bullet can shape is popular. ...

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

Frederick Carlton Carl Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds (He received the gold medal in the 100 meters in 1988 Olympics after Ben Johnson was disqualified for using drugs), and 10 World Championships medals, of...