Bhubaneswar: “Carl Lewis didn’t win gold medals, but bought them.” Yes, this startling revelation was made by the former Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, when asked to comment on his rivalry with the nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis of America.
Talking to Orissa POST on the sidelines of the Ekamra Lit Fest, Saturday, Johnson remarked, “We all knew that Carl was the favorite to win four medals in the 1984 Olympics. If you look closely at the 200m final, Kirk Baptiste slowed down after 160m to let Carl Lewis come and pass him because the two were both good friends. Some of the medals Lewis won were not earned by the athlete.”
Johnson came into headlines four years later when he stunned everyone in the 1988 Seoul Olympics by winning the 100m gold medal thereby becoming the first sprinter to break the 9.80-second barrier. But the Canadian speed demon was stripped of his gold medal two days later because he tested positive for banned the steroid Stanozolol. In fact, six out of the eight athletes in that 100m final, including Lewis, were accused of doping, earning it the tag – ‘The dirtiest race in history’.
However, 30 years down the line, Johnson still believes that his name will be cleared. “The time has finally come and we have to wait and see what the end result is. They never thought I will be live this long. I am confident because that’s what the Lord said; even my mother,” the 56-year-old said with a smile.
When Johnson was asked whether it’s fair on the part of IAAF to ban a female athlete for having elevated testosterone levels, the two-time Olympic bronze medallist dubbed is as “totally unfair”.
“I don’t think it’s fair because that is what the human body is made up. If a woman has more testosterone than others and says that she has more energy and is in better shape and recovers faster – that’s not fair to ban her for that reason. There are too many rules, too much corruption I should say,” he added.