Today In History: Ben Johnson Stripped of Medal
September 27th: Today in 1988 sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his medal and sent home for the Seoul Olympic Games for taking drugs to improve his performance. I am aware that this is now a constant event in sports, but this was the first I remember as a big issue. I recall thinking at the time ‘Who would be so stupid?’ but the sad answer is many, many people would follow down this same path in search of athletic glory.
September 27th, 2006 at 9:12 am
I sort of lost track of what happened to Floyd Landis, the Tour De France winner (or has it been stripped?). The whole thing seemed strange to me. They took test samples at multiple times, only one showed positive and it showed positive for something that wouldn’t have helped in a “one shot” application? Is that about right?
September 27th, 2006 at 11:29 am
I think that is correct, but it is strictly from Landis’s perspective. A more jaundiced view is that the masking worked in previous samples, but failed to hide the drug use as well in the one that tested positive. The athletes always have it that someone is out to get them, given the french feelings towards the good old USA that plays well, but you have to wonder who really is doping if all these nice athletes are innocent. I still want to believe Raphael Palmeiro is innocent, but in my gut I suspect he is not.