He went back there. Twenty-five years after the legendary 100m final of the 1988 Games, the scene of one of the most spectacular doping cases in history, Ben Johnson took to the track at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. A very symbolic return, since scheduled twenty-five years to the day after the events, Tuesday September 24.
Now aged 51, still a little chubbier than during his career as a sprinter, the Canadian played the game of this improbable birthday ceremony. “I was crucified for 25 years,” he said once he entered the South Korean stadium. Before admitting: “It’s good to come back. This is where history was written. Some would say it’s a bad story, but that’s not my view.”
Winner of the Olympic 100m final, in 9 seconds, a world record, Ben Johnson did not enjoy his status as sprint king for long. Three days after the race, a doping test revealed the presence of an anabolic steroid, Stanozolol, in his urine. He had to leave the South Korean capital under police escort, before being stripped of his titles and records.
Today, the Canadian enjoys confessions. “A quarter of a century has passed, but I am still in penance. Rapists and murderers end up in prison, but they always get out. I know I did wrong. The rules are the rules. But the rules should be the same for everyone. Politics always interferes in sport. The tests may have improved and become more precise, but the substances are also making progress. »
The former athlete, sure of his fact, also affirms that he could have won the final of the Seoul Games without taking any product, with clear water.
Engaged in a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of doping, Ben Johnson has spread the good word around the world in recent months. A campaign funded by sports compression clothing brand, Skins, called “Choose the Right Track.” » His visit to the Olympic stadium in Seoul, where he had never returned, constituted the last stop.
The Canadian covered the 100 m straight of the track at the 1988 Games. During his journey, an anti-doping petition with 3.700 signatures was unrolled on the track. At the finish line, he winked at himself by repeating his victory gesture, at the finish of the race, one finger raised to the sky.
