Tottenham defeat Cardiff, Everton edge out Leicester
Tainted Jamaica-born Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson has finally seen the evidence that was used to disqualify him at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
Johnson, who won the 100-metre event with a world record timing of 9.79, was stripped of gold after the Olympic Doping Control Centre found the athlete’s urine sample contained the banned anabolic steroid stanozolol. Neither Johnson nor any official from the Canadian Olympic team was shown the results of the drug test that turned the decorated athlete into an infamous one.
However, Johnson recently saw the 30-year-old lab report, thanks to Canada’s largest daily, The Star, which obtained a copy of it containing clinical data, dates, time, sample codes, and the scientific test results that found traces of stanozolol in the athlete’s urine.
The findings have left Johnson upset for had he seen it earlier, he feels he would not have lost his medal.
“If I had seen this in Seoul, I would have kept my medal. If you can’t see the evidence, how can others condemn somebody,” Johnson was quoted as saying by The Star.
According to the report, the test results of the athlete’s sample show inconsistencies that raise questions about the way the case was handled by the lab then. Unexplained deletions, handwritten revisions, “blank” urine tests, question marks and changed lab codes mark the report, indicating that the lab was not sure about the illegal substance found in the Canadian sprinter’s sample.
Johnson had denied taking the banned substance ahead of the Olympics, but later admitted he had been using steroids for a long time. Despite
A TIMELINE
LONDON: Cardiff City’s Premier League woes continued as they had a man sent off in a 1-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Eric Dier scored his first league goal since April 2017 after eight minutes when the ball fell to the Englishman to tap in from six yards out. A spirited Cardiff were reduced to 10 men in the 57th minute when Joe Ralls was sent off for a cynical lunge on the lightning-quick Moura.
Meanwhile, Gylfi Sigurdsson struck a glorious 77th- minute winner to earn Everton a 2-1 win at 10-man Leicester City.
Josh King struck twice as Bournemouth continued their best start to a season to earn their biggest top-flight away win his admission, the 56-year-old believes he would have been an Olympic gold medallist had anyone from his team been shown the report in 1988.
Montreal lawyer Dick Pound, who was an IOC vice-president in 1988 and defended Johnson after the controversy, is satisfied with the way things unfolded.
“I would have been really embarrassed that through some lawyering, you got somebody off who was guilty,” Pound was quoted as saying, adding he has not seen Johnson’s lab report yet. “All the information eventually gets out,” he said.
For Johnson, the damage to his reputation is irreparable. He plans to share his lab report on his website and hopes to influence Olympic authorities to relook at what happened in Seoul.
“These documents are the key to getting this case reopened and once and for all, to get the truth,” Johnson was quoted as saying.
“The public will see (the report) and come to their conclusion about it.” with a 4-0 thumping of 10-man Watford at Vicarage Road.
RONALDO SCORES
UDINE: Cristiano Ronaldo, embroiled in rape allegations, scored for Juventus in Saturday’s Serie A game against Udinese. The Portuguese scored the second goal for the Italian champions after 37 minutes. It was his fourth goal this season.