FALL GUYS& FOWL PLAYERS

This newspaper explores and explains the stories of eight of the worst cheaters of all time. In and outside the world of sports these stories are true indications of how competitiveness can make the world turn bitter.

5ROSIE RUIZ

9THE BLACK SOX

13FLOYD LANDIS

17DIEGO MARADONA

21

TONYA HARDING25

NELSON PIQUET 29

LUIS RESTO

33BEN JOHNSON

5

ROSIE RUIZ

Rosie snuck out of the crowd with less than a mile left in the 1980 Boston Marathon, wearing a bulky shirt, an unfit body and a perspiration-less skin. She sprinted less than a mile to what was believed to be a world-record time of 2:31, a résumé-less runner looking at first like one of the great sports stories in history.

Ruiz is responsible for the greatest hoax in the history of sports, but odds are, it’s the transgression that most of us have the toughest time getting too worked up over. Mostly, she made us roar, and most of all, she made us remember that name. Rosie Ruiz. The Boston Marathon is a prestigious race and all, and yet few of us remember one thing that’s ever happened there except that con artist making it eight days as champion until they could prove she was a fraud.

Everywhere else in sports, we have less and less tolerance for rule breakers because everything has turned so sophisticated and sinister. From designer steroids to agents trolling the high school playgrounds, cheating is a nastier business than ever. Let’s just get something straight: On the 25th anniversary of Ruiz rouse, let’s absolve her of consideration of first-ballot entry into the Cheaters Hall of Fame. After all, she made us laugh too hard.

To think that you could slip out of the pack of people just past the 25th mile was silly. It never should’ve worked, and odds are, Ruiz never believed it would work so well that it would take eight days before she was stripped of the marathon title in 1980. Twenty-five years later, everything from computer chips in runner’s shoes to electronically monitored stops on the race course would never allow such an emboldened act to go so far.

Despite the fact that she was witnessed running out of the crowd and onto the course with less than a mile left, that she was seen nowhere at checkpoints, Ruiz has never stopped insisting she ran the race. If you’re Jacqueline Gareau, the Canadian who lost out on her championship after beating Heartbreak Hill, well, it isn’t so funny that Ruiz fooled everyone.

As the Boston Herald reports, there were a few more misunderstandings for Ruiz after the Boston Marathon in 1980. Let’s see, there was an arrest for grand larceny and forgery for allegedly stealing tens of thousands from the real estate firm where she had worked (she served only a week in jail, instead receiving five years’ probation). Oh, and there was a bust for trying to sell cocaine to undercover agents at the Miami Airport Marriott. Apparently, she spent 23 days in jail on the charge and was put on two years’ probation. Even there, she couldn’t make it the full 26.2.

Anyway, all that left Rosie a little short on a credible case that the world had it all wrong about her in 1980. Nobody believes Rosie Ruiz ever tried to win the race --- never mind set a world record --- but once they hustled her into the news conference for a bizarre string of non-answers and goofy diatribes, there was no turning back. One way or another, she was on her way into history. When we think of the greatest hoaxes in history, it’s always that name that rolls off your tongue: Rosie Ruiz.

Needless to say Ruiz was banded from all major running events once she was found out, never to return to her “record breaking” running shoes.

Twenty-five years ago, she tried something that never, ever should’ve worked. Somehow, it did. For eight days, she was the most amazing story the sport had ever seen. For 25 years, in all her resplendent dysfunction, Rosie Ruiz is still one of the best things to ever happen to the Boston Marathon. Never mind all the cheaters sports ever produced because it’s less and less we ever find any comic relief in them.

I WANTED TO SEE IF IT COULD BE DONE

ROSIE RUIZ

7

zYOU CAN’T JUST SAY

AND CLAIM YOU’VE FINISHED

THE ALPHABET

CAINE BARNES

9

THE BLACK SOX

10

The Black Sox Scandal took place around and during the play of the American baseball 1919 World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned for life from baseball for intentionally losing games, which allowed the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series. The conspiracy was the brainchild of White Sox first baseman Arnold “Chick” Gandil, who had longstanding ties to petty underworld figures. He persuaded Joseph “Sport” Sullivan, a friend and professional gambler, that the fix could be pulled off. New York gangster Arnold Rothstein supplied the money through his lieutenant Abe Attell, a former featherweight boxing champion.

Gandil enlisted several of his teammates, motivated by a dislike of club owner Charles Comiskey whom they perceived as a tightwad, to implement the fix; Comiskey had developed a reputation for underpaying his players for years (under the MLB reserve clause, players either had to take the salary they were offered, or couldn’t play Major League Baseball, as they were property of the original team, and no other team was allowed to sign them). All of them were members of a faction on the team that resented the more strait-laced players on the squad, such as second baseman Eddie Collins, a graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University, catcher Ray Schalk, and pitcher Red Faber. By most contemporary accounts, the two factions almost never spoke to each other on or off the field, and the only thing they had in common was a resentment of Comiskey.

Starting pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude “Lefty” Williams, outfielder Oscar “Hap” Felsch, and shortstop Charles “Swede” Risberg were all principally involved with Gandil. Third baseman Buck Weaver was also asked to participate, but refused. Weaver was later banned with the others for knowing of the fix but not reporting it. Although he hardly played in the series, utility infielder Fred McMullin got word of the fix and threatened to report the others unless he was in on the payoff. As a small coincidence, McMullin was a former teammate of “Sleepy” Bill Burns, who had a minor role in the fix. Both played for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. Star outfielder “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was also mentioned as a participant, though his involvement is disputed.

After being banned, Risberg and several other members of the Black Sox tried to organize a three-state barnstorming tour. However, they were forced to cancel those plans after Landis let it be known that anyone who played with or against them would also be banned from baseball for life. They then announced plans to play a regular exhibition game every Sunday in Chicago, but the Chicago City Council threatened to cancel the license of any ballpark that hosted them.

The 10 players not implicated in the gambling scandal, as well as manager Kid Gleason, were each given bonus checks in the amount of $1500 by Charles A. Comiskey in the fall of 1920, the difference between the winners’ and losers’ share for participation in the 1919 World Series.

EIGHT WHITE SOX PLAYERS ARE ARRAIGN ON CHARGE OF FIXING 1919 WORLD SERIES

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19181919

The Black Sox Scandel

The World Series

Eddie CicotteOscar Felch

Arnold GandilJoe Jackson

Fred McMullinCharles RisbergClaude WilliamsGeorge Weaver

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FLOYD LANDIS

14

FLOYD LANDIS GUILTY IN DOPING

LAB HACK

Floyd Landis was born into a Mennonite family on Oct. 14, 1975, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He began riding bikes in his teens. From 2002 to 2004, he rode with the U.S. Postal team. He teamed with Phonak, which led to a rivalry with Lance Armstrong. He won the Tour de France in 2006, but samples showed he was using synthetic testosterone. He denied the claim.

From 2002 to 2004, Landis rode with the U.S. Postal team, helping teammate Lance Armstrong win the Tour de France each year. Landis then decided to team with Phonak instead of joining U.S. Postal’s new incarnation as the Discovery Channel team. The move unwittingly started a feud with Armstrong; the two cyclists were even seen shouting at each other from their bike’s during several stages of the 2005 Tour de France, which Armstrong won.

It was the tour in 2006 though, when his career took a turn for the worse. He was accused of doping. Something he later admitted after a lengthy court battle. He took the accusations to court and explained “I want to clear my name.”

Landis explained in an email to the WADA, Years after his win in the 2006 tour, that after breaking his hip in 2003, he flew to Girona, Spain, a training hub for American riders, and had two half-liter units of blood extracted from his body in three-week intervals to be used later during the Tour de France. This is a highly illegal act, as it enhances the riders performance.

The extraction, Mr. Landis claimed, took place in Mr. Armstrong’s apartment, where blood bags belonging to Mr. Armstrong and his then-teammate George Hincapie were kept in a refrigerator in Mr. Armstrong’s closet.

Mr. Landis said he was asked to check the temperature of the blood daily. According to Mr. Landis, Mr. Armstrong left for a few weeks and asked Mr. Landis to make sure the electricity didn’t go off and ruin the blood. George Hincapie, through a spokesman, denied the allegations. He also went on to explain how he used EPO excessively throughout his career.

Being disgraced from the sport Floyd tried to make a comeback a few years later but it never got going. He know lives in California with his wife, kids and a small amount of prize winnings after the cost of the leangthy court battle.

Landis made an impressive show at the Tour de France, including a sensational ride in stage 17, when his solo breakaway over the French mountains beat the field by nearly six minutes. The win was particularly remarkable given that Landis was planning to have hip replacement surgery later that year. This is when the judges suspitions grew later resulting in a full enquiry.

Landis was fired from Phonak when he was found to have used a banned synthetic testosterone. In May, Landis testified before a three-member panel that he had not used drugs and cited incompetence at the French laboratory where his urine sample was tested.

He lost his doping case and his Tour de France title. On 20/09/2007, the American Arbitration Association upheld the results of a test that showed the American cyclist used synthetic testosterone to fuel his spectacular comeback victory in the 2006 Tour de France. He was subject to a two year ban, retroactive to 30/01/2007. Dick Pound described it as “a victory for all clean athletes and everyone who values fair and honest competition.”

IT’S IN THE BLOOD

Floyd Landis was born into a Mennonite family on Oct. 14, 1975, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He began riding bikes in his teens. From 2002 to 2004, he rode with the U.S. Postal team. He teamed with Phonak, which led to a rivalry with Lance Armstrong. He won the Tour de France in 2006, but samples showed he was using synthetic testosterone. He denied the claim.

15

I DON’T FEEL GUILTY

Floyd Landis

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DIEGO MARADONA

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I JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE HE DID IT

Peter Shilton

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HUG ME OR THE REFEREE ISN’T GOING TO

ALLOW IT.’

IT WAS LIKE PICK-POCKETING

THE ENGLISH

The sorcery, not to mention the sauce, of Diego Maradona ended England’s World Cup hopes in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City 1986. Two goals from the magician early in the second half broke the resistance of Bobby Robson’s defenders and set Argentina on course for their second semi-final in three tournaments.

It was a long time before either attack achieved any impact. The game was not unlike your average First Division fixture. In spite of Fenwick’s early tackle England did not set out to mark Maradona individually. Instead they concentrated on interrupting his lines of communication with other Argentinians and in this they were successful until half-time, although there were signs in the last 10 minutes of Maradona taking control of the play between the penalty areas. Nevertheless, up to that point he had only threatened England with free-kicks near goal, not that any of these caused Shilton any serious problems. However, before the match was an hour old. In the 50th minute Maradona ploughed into the heart of the English defence before laying it out to his right, Valdano was unable to control properly which gave Hodge the opportunity to flick the ball over his head and back towards Shilton. Maradona immediately challenged the England goalkeeper and to the naked eye it seemed that he had achieved a legal touch in deflecting the ball into the net. Maradona could hardly claim that he had nothing up his sleeve. Television evidence clearly shows that Argentina’s first goal went in off Maradona’s wrist after he had gone

up for a high ball with Shilton. At the outset of the match eveyone knew that each side possessed a world-class player, only one of whom could use his hands. In this context the name of Maradona did not spring immediately to mind. Yet the England manager had no doubt what happened. “I saw the ball in the air and Maradona going for it,” said Robson. “Shilton went for it as well but Maradona handled the ball into the net. You don’t expect decisions like that at World Cup level.”

Since this was the consensus of Argentinian opinion after the West German referee, Rudolf Kreitlein, had sent off Antonio Rattin when they lost to England in the 1966 finals, some will argue that justice of a kind was done 20 years later. How extraordinary it is that England and Argentina cannot meet in a World Cup without some sort of controversy ensuing.

A few minutes after the incident Maradona scored one of the great World Cup goals when he left three England defenders lying on the ground like broken dolls before slipping the ball past Shilton. “A brilliant goal,” said Robson. “I didn’t like it but I had to admire it.”

A late header from Lineker, his sixth in this World Cup, briefly revived English hopes and he was only inches away from bringing the scores level. But in the end few could dispute that the winners had given a thoroughly professional performance and on balance deserved their place in the last four.

After the early traumas of Monterrey, England were not too unhappy about having gone out of the tournament in this fashion – beaten controversially after defending solidly and attacking boldly whenever they could. They ended the match by reverting to Robson’s original concept of two wingers after Waddle and Barnes had replaced Reid and Steven. For a moment after the switch in play you felt that one of the World Cup’s most remarkable recoveries was imminent. However the Argentinians defended competently if not always with the greatest composure, and nearly scored a third goal when a quick exchange of passes ended with Tapia, who had come on for Burruchaga, hitting a post.

Argentina Turned out to be the eventual champions of this world cup, leaving England to dream about what might have been.

On the 22nd of June 1986, there was a football match between Argentina and England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The game was held four years after the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom and was a key part in developing the intense football rivalry between the two nations. It was also a match which included the most famous goal in football history, scored by Diego Maradona. After fifty-one minutes a goal was scored using, to use his words “A little bit the head of Maradona anda little bit the Hand Of God.”

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I JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE HE DID IT

Peter Shilton

w

I JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE HE DID IT

Peter Shilton

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21

TONYA HARDING

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Figure skaters are often delicate-looking young, beautiful women. But Tonya Harding was not that kind of figure skater. While her competitors floated gracefully through their programs, Harding skated with forceful strokes, like a hockey player.

January 6, 1994. The United States Olympic Trials, Cobo Arena, Detroit. Kerrigan takes the ice for a practice session at 2 p.m., gliding along the ice. At 2:35 p.m., Kerrigan leaves the ice, followed by an ABC cameraman. As the cameraman lays down his equipment, a man sneaks up and darts behind him, toward two security guards standing in front of a blue curtain. The man is Shane Stant, 22, a high school dropout turned bodybuilder, and an acquaintance of Gillooly. Acting as if he’s media, Stant strolls past the guards.

As he walks behind the curtain, Stant spots the unassuming Kerrigan in the hallway outside the dressing room. She is talking to a reporter, Dana Scarton of the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette. Stant draws a black, aluminum, retractable police baton out of his belt with his right hand.

As Kerrigan and the reporter chat, Stant storms between the two women, he takes the baton and strikes a frightening and violent blow to Kerrigan’s right leg, just above her knee. He then runs away. Kerrigan falls to the ground and begins screaming, “Why? Why?”,“The guy ran by, crouched down, whacked her on the knee and kept on running,” Scarton would say later. “Nancy just dropped and started screaming and sobbing, ‘It hurts. It hurts so bad. I’m scared.’” Within seconds, dozens of Olympic officials rush toward Kerrigan. Stunned and motionless, the reporter and a small group of people watch Stant run away, toward an exit.

With Kerrigan’s screams echoing through the hallway, Stant drops the note and tries crashing through the plexiglas doors. To his surprise, the doors are chained, unlike the previous day, when he cased out the area, preparing to commit this crime of assault. Using his head as a ram, he

crashes through the lower portion of the doors and falls onto the sidewalk. “Hey, somebody stop that guy!” a voice cries out. Still brandishing his weapon, Stant stumbles back to his feet and runs crazily along a sidewalk crowded with people. Frantically looking behind him to make sure no one is chasing, Stant slips on a small patch of icy snow.

As a man walks in Stant’s path, Stant slams right into him, knocks him down, flattening him. He then flings the baton away. It slides under a parked car. He glances over his shoulder again. People are watching this wild scene unfolding before their eyes, but no one gives chase, unaware of what’s happening inside Cobo Arena, where Kerrigan is sitting on the cold floor, clutching her knee, screaming and crying. Outside, Stant is running further away from the arena. Suddenly, a car pulls up and skids to a grinding halt, nearing hitting Stant. “Get in!” a voice in the car yells. Stant jumps in, tears off his jacket and gloves, and slips into a brown coat. He peers over his shoulder again as the car speeds away. No one is in pursuit.

Back inside Cobo, there is complete chaos. Kerrigan is helped up by officials and she hobbles down the hall. Within an hour of the attack, Gillooly is awakened by a telephone call from Harding, according to later testimony. “It happened,” she says. “They did it.” Newspapers across the country splash the Kerrigan assault all across the front page. Every TV and radio newscast, from Boston to Los Angeles, blast continuous news about the shocking attack. Police in Oregon arrest Shawn Eckardt, 26, Harding’s bodyguard.

Rumors quickly surface that Harding was involved in the planning of the attack. The skating world, the sports world, is on the edge of it seat. Figure skating has never received such attention. Even people without the faintest interest in the sport read the stories and watch the news.

The day after Eckardt is arrested, Stant surrenders to authorities in Phoenix. As the days pass, the picture becomes clearer and the worse it gets for Harding. It is learned through an affidavit that a few weeks before the Olympic Trials in Detroit, Harding made three phone calls from her home to Tony Kent Arena, Kerrigan’s practice rink in South Dennis, Mass., trying to find out her practice schedule so Stant could attack Kerrigan there, where there would be far less traffic, people and commotion than in Detroit.

All the details of the attack fall together, one after another -- the entire plot, from beginning to end. The facts show that Harding conspired with Gillooly, Eckert and Stant to destroy Kerrigan and her Olympic career. Several weeks later, Norman Frink, chief deputy district attorney of Multnomah County (Ore.), says, “The evidence is clear that Tonya Harding was involved and participated prior to the assault, and we are prepared to go forward with charges on each and every crime we believed she was culpable for.”

Harding is forced to resign as a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Association, which prevents her from competing in the world championships in Japan. She is also placed on three years’ probation, assessed $110,000 in fines and legal fees, sentenced to 500 hours of community service and forced to contribute $50,000 to the Paralympic Games.

22

Figure skaters are often delicate-looking young, beautiful women. But Tonya Harding was not that kind of figure skater. She became a household name for breaking her competion’s legs before the

Olympic Games.

SHES

A

BULLY

JAMES

DEBOUR

FALL GUYS & FOWL PLAYERS03/08

25

NELSON PIQUET

26w

Sport and controversy go together hand in hand.

But rarely can an attempt to abuse the system

have involved such serious stakes, namely

the personal safety of a driver. Given that and

the high-profile nature of those involved, it is

unsurprising that when Crashgate, as it quickly

became known, broke it did considerable damage

to the image of Formula One in a year it was

already on the backfoot.

The basics of what happened are quite simple,

even if blame and accountability was passed

between members of the Renault team. At the

Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008, Nelson

Piquet Jnr crashed into the wall at the 17th turn

on the 14th lap of the race. The location of the

accident meant the safety car had to be deployed

while the debris was cleared, and Piquet’s

teammate Fernando Alonso went on to win.

Piquet described his crash as a simple mistake

and that, to all intents and purposes, was that.

On August 3, shortly after the 2009 Hungarian

Grand Prix, Piquet was released by Renault.

Piquet, claiming he had an ‘understanding’ with

the team, was livid and within days claimed he

had crashed on orders.

After weeks of speculation and rumour,

on September 4 Renault was charged with

conspiracy. Renault insisted it would vigorously

deny the charges (which were due to be heard

on September 21) but on September 16 in a

complete about-turn it said it would not contest

the allegations and managing director, Flavio

Briatore, and executive director of engineering,

Pat Symonds, had quit. At the FIA hearing,

Renault was disqualified from F1, suspended

for two years. Briatore was suspended from all

Formula One events and FIA-sanctioned events

indefinitely, whilst Symonds received a five-year

suspended ban. Both bans were overturned by

a French court in January 2010, although they

both agreed not to work in Formula One or FIA

sanctioned events as part of a later settlement

reached with the governing body.

Alonso and Piquet both qualified down the field

for F1’s first night race - Alonso 15th and Piquet

THEY RISKED NELSON PIQUETS LIFE & HONOUR

JAMES KEYS

At the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008,

Nelson Piquet Jnr crashed into the wall at the

17th turn on the 14th lap of the race. The location

of the accident meant the safety car had to be

deployed while the debris was cleared, and

Piquet’s teammate Fernando Alonso went

on to win.

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LUIS RESTO

30

COLLINSRESTO

VS

PANAMA LEWIS SHOULD NEVER, EVER

BE ALLOWED TO WORK IN BOXING

Billy Collins came from a proud, hardworking and respected family that had deep roots in boxing. What he lacked in money, he more than made up for in character and determination, and became an accomplished amateur boxer. Skilled, strong, tough, and courageous, Billy was an awesome fighter. He was trained by his father, Billy Collins, Sr. The senior Collins had been a professional and took pride in his son’s work ethic and his instinct for fighting.

Early in his pro career, Billy was one of the first ESPN Boxing Champions. He won the ESPN Welterweight Championship, was up-and-coming, undefeated and on the brink of greatness.

On June 16, 1983 at Madison Square Garden, Billy fought on the under card of the Roberto Duran -vs.- Davey Moore World Jr. Middleweight Championship. He was matched against was Luis Resto, a journeyman brawler. The fight was televised nationally on ABC Wide World of Sports. Billy was world ranked, 14-0 with 11 knockouts. He was on the verge of a world title fight.

This was to be his “golden opportunity.” Resto, had twice as many fights as Billy, but Billy was the favorite to win.

Before the start of the bout, Panama, Resto’s trainer, was yelling across the ring to Billy and his corner, “You’re going down, Collins! You’re going down!”

During the fight, Billy complained to his corner that Resto was, “hitting me with a brick.” Billy’s father asked him if he wanted to stop the fight. “No,” he replied promptly. “I’m going to knock him out!” Billy was in a real-life fight for his life. He traded punch-for-punch with Resto over 10 grueling rounds. Billy was himself knocked out towards the end of the bout but got up and carried on.

When the fight was over, a despondent Billy headed back to his corner. Resto approached Billy’s corner for the customary handshake with the opponent’s trainer. When Mr. Collins grabbed Resto’s glove, he felt nothing but knuckles. Resto winced in obvious pain. Collins couldn’t believe it. He immediately demanded that the New York State Boxing Commission impound the gloves and investigate.

Initially, Billy lost a 10-round unanimous decision, but it was later ruled a “no contest” when it was discovered that Resto’s gloves had been tampered with by his trainer, Lewis. What came to light during the criminal investigation was that just before the fight, Lewis removed padding from the gloves and basically turned them from protective gear into lethal weapons.

As a result of this criminal intent, Lewis and Resto were convicted of assault, conspiracy, and criminal possession of a deadly weapon in October of 1986. Lewis was incarcerated for one year while Resto served almost two years of a three-year sentence. Both he and Lewis were banned from boxing for life.

Billy’s injuries from that fight left him with ever permanent eye damage and doctors informed him he would eventually go blind. Those injuries ended his once promising career.

On June 16, 1983 they stole Billy’s future and his life. Billy died under suspicious circumstances, nine months after the Resto fight in a car accident. The criminal actions of Lewis on June 16, 1983 came on the heels of another suspicious incident involving the questionable trainer.

Rock Solid Boxing President Joe McEwen, III is motivated by the memory of his friend and the late, great fighter Billy Ray Collins, Jr. The tragic, brutal and unnecessary ending to his remarkable boxing career, and the circumstances surrounding his subsequent death are vivid reminders that boxing has made great strides over the past decades, though we can never be too vigilant.

On June 16, 1983 they stole Billy’s future and his life. Billy died under suspicious circumstances, nine months after the Resto fight in a car accident. The criminal actions of Lewis on June 16, 1983 came on the heels of another suspicious incident involving the questionable trainer.

KNO

C

K

O UT

33

BEN JOHNSON

34

Johnson however does not deny using drugs. How could he when they found him pumped full of rocket fuel on the biggest sporting stage of all after he had scorched 100m of South Korean earth in 9.79sec, a time so fast that the world blinked and almost missed it?

His world was torn apart, he served a two-year suspension, but in 1993 was banned for life by the IAAF after testing positive for excess testosterone, five years after the initial charge. Yet he maintains: “My crime was being honest. They had to get me out of the Olympics because I told the truth. They can’t afford to have us tell it like it is.” So how is it? “They’re all at it,” he says. “Well, the same 30-40 per cent use steroids as in my day. But it’s the top 30-40 per cent, the percentage who matter.”

“How shall we put it to avoid being sued by everybody? OK, virtually all the big names, the winners, the stars all the fans come out to see . . . they’re on drugs. Nothing has changed as a result of all the controversies because without steroids it’s not humanly possible to keep producing the performances.”

While the denials of so many champions, such as Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin, were exposed as a sham by the BALCO trials in California, the man cursed with the reputation as the biggest cheat of all actually owned up. Not to the sensational offence for which he was convicted in 1988 but to being sucked into the overwelming Olympic drug culture.

Ben Johnson is a former sprinter from Canada, 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 metres 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.

MY CRIME

WAS BEING

HONEST

From the depths of a black night in Seoul which scarred Olympic history for all time, the fastest man on Earth made a solitary phone call to the other side of the world and broke the devastating news that he was being stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for drugs.

Ben Johnson’s father, a lawyer who had watched on Canadian television 62 hours earlier as his son obliterated the legendary Carl Lewis as well as the world 100metres record, responded with just one word: “Americans!”

Though ‘on the edge’ himself, he later the same day Johnson called his mother, who told him: “Just come home, Ben. They could have killed you.” They? “Someone from the Lewis camp,” is Johnson’s astonishing claim, though he does not suggest Lewis was personally involved.

“The Americans can’t allow themselves to come second. That’s their mentality and I’d beaten Carl three times on the run up to the Games. So they spiked my drink with enough stuff to kill a cow. Unlucky to test positive? I was lucky to get out of Seoul alive.” To most people, this will seem like just another outlandish conspiracy theory. JFK, Princess Diana, Dr David Kelly . . . and now Johnson.

Johnson, of course, lived to tell the tale, unlike those others, and talks bitterly of how his father died of the heartbreak three years later, aged 64, and his mother, with whom he lived until her death at the a ge of 69, “was killed by what they did to her boy Ben”.

35

DON’T TELL MEI

DOPE

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