Ben Johnson States "I am not a cheat"

By Robert H. Kelly

It was reported today in the Victoria, Australia newspaper HERALD SUN that Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson stated he was framed for using performance-enhancing drugs at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Johnson ran 9.87 seconds to win the 100 meters, but he was disqualified and stripped of his gold medal after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Johnson was quoted as saying,

“People can put things in your food and drinks to sabotage you, like they did to me in Seoul in 1988. I'm not a cheat -- I do what I am supposed to do to win.”

One has to wonder why he is making that statement now, when its validity didn’t hold up eighteen years ago in Seoul.

He further stated:

"People are evil. They will do anything to get rid of someone from the sport. I would say 40 per cent of people in sports are using performance-enhancing drugs. You would be surprised to see the great players of the past who retired doing stuff."

It may be he is trying to rebuild his image. Perhaps he is trying to rewrite history to make his legacy more positive. One can never truly know what is in the mind of people.