This sprinter won the most anticipated race of the 1988 Olympics in a world record, and three days later the gold medal was taken off him and handed to the man he had beaten.
The full story
Ben Johnson won the Olympic 100 metres in Seoul on 24 September 1988 in 9.79 seconds. His sample tested positive for stanozolol and the IOC disqualified him; the gold passed to Carl Lewis. The Canadian government appointed a Commission of Inquiry under Associate Chief Justice of Ontario Charles Dubin, which heard evidence through 1989 and reported in June 1990; Johnson admitted long-term steroid use, and the IAAF subsequently rescinded his 1987 world record of 9.83. He tested positive again in January 1993 and the IAAF banned him for life on 5 March 1993.
The clues we handed out
— He had tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.
— His government convened a national inquiry into drugs in sport at which he admitted years of use, and his 1987 world record was rescinded too.
— The runner-up who inherited the title was Carl Lewis.
— Several of the eight men in that final were later linked to performance-enhancing drugs, which is why it is sometimes called the dirtiest race in history.
— Initials: B.J.
How this case played
ALLEGEDLY* edition No. 88. Three strikes to name Ben Johnson, with a free clue
unlocked after every miss.
*A blind item you can check. Every puzzle is drawn from the public record —
court records, official rulings, and moments that unfolded on live television — and the
records are linked above. Allegedly.
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