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Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson's 100m victory over Carl Lewis at Seoul in 1988 was spectacular - but the events that followed were even more dramatic.

When Ben Johnson surged over the finish line in the 100m at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, it seemed that inside a world record-breaking 9.79 seconds he had settled his bitter rivalry with Carl Lewis once and for all. But then it all began to fall apart.

At 4am, the phone rang in the hotel room of the Colin Hart, who was covering the Olympics for The Sun. "There's a major story about to break", the bleary-eyed Hart was told. Shortly afterwards, 91热爆 host Des Lynam delivered the bombshell news. Johnson had tested positive for Stanozylol, a banned performance-enhancing steroid.

In this episode of Ten Second Showdown, Mike Costello hears from people who were on the front line as one of the biggest drugs scandals of all time unfolded.

This is the dramatic story of the 100m that become known as the dirtiest race in history.

PRESENTER: MIKE COSTELLO
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Tue 9 Jul 2024 13:45

Broadcast

  • Tue 9 Jul 2024 13:45