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15 reviews for:
The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the Olympic 100m Final
Richard Moore
4.02 AVERAGE
15 reviews for:
The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the Olympic 100m Final
Richard Moore
4.02 AVERAGE
I liked it a lot, but I don't know if I really learned anything substantial from it. That says more about my interest in athletics though, than the depth of research that went into the book.
I really enjoyed this book.
As someone who was born after the ‘88 Olympics, I obviously didn’t know anything about the controversy until I grew up and starting taking a real interest in sport. When I did find out about them, I just automatically assumed that Ben Johnson was a massive cheat and it was as cut and dry as that.
This book gives a really interesting perspective into the Lewis-Johnson rivalry, more about them both as individuals and also makes you realise how many other people were on some form of substance or another. It also highlights how much of a role coaches and other entourage play in the career of a high-level athlete.
Very interesting read!
As someone who was born after the ‘88 Olympics, I obviously didn’t know anything about the controversy until I grew up and starting taking a real interest in sport. When I did find out about them, I just automatically assumed that Ben Johnson was a massive cheat and it was as cut and dry as that.
This book gives a really interesting perspective into the Lewis-Johnson rivalry, more about them both as individuals and also makes you realise how many other people were on some form of substance or another. It also highlights how much of a role coaches and other entourage play in the career of a high-level athlete.
Very interesting read!
Took me a while to finish this book. I think its interesting to view the rivalry between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis although I wished the book would be closer to the title and focus on all the other competitors as well. If it was the dirtiest race in history, then the drug cheating of the other competitors should have been documented as well.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
sad
medium-paced
I enjoyed this telling of a race that lasted less than 10 seconds. Unfortunately, the book was more like Carl Lewis than Ben Johnson, in that it started fairly slowly and then built up a pace. I'm glad, though, that I stuck with it.
Well researched and well told - a good look inside an amazing era for sprinting.
Well researched and well told - a good look inside an amazing era for sprinting.
informative
fast-paced
Really enjoyed this. Had read Charlie Francis' (Ben Johnson's coach) book before but this was a far more complete read on 1980s sprinting.
The dirtiest race in history covers the build-up and aftermath of the 1988 100m Olympic final and the rivalry between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis.
Before reading this book I knew relatively little about the this period in sprinting other then Ben Johnson was a cheat and Carl Lewis was one of the greatest sprinters ever; after reading this book though I realise just how intriguing this period in athletics really was from the use of drugs to the rivalries and (for the time) mind-boggling times that were being set.
The first few chapters explain the conflicting rise of the two athletes, Carl Lewis came from an athletic family and was extremely gifted from a young age. Ben Johnson, on the other hand, came from a less well-off family and had a much more gradual rise to the top. Carl Lewis, for all his achievements, is presented as quite a pompous character due to comparing himself to Michael Jackson and his apparent need for prestigious sponsorships and recognition. it also delves into the reasons behind his dislike in the media throughout his career on-top of appearing arrogant he also was accused of being a Homosexual and progressive which played a role in his dislike in the 1980s media. After the 1984 Olympics which Lewis won Ben Johnson began to gradually climb the ranks in sprinting due to his coach Charlie Francis and his use of PED's. Ben Johnson after losing countless times to Lewis finally beat him in Zurich 1985 then went from strength to strength. He won almost every meeting after that including the world athletics final in which he set a new world record 9.83. then in Seoul he won gold again and set another world record before being disqualified for stanozolol. after that, disgraced Johnson went on a downhill streak having his reputation in taters losing sponsors and never reaching the same form again. carl in contrast would set a new world record in 1991 of 9.86 and is still remembered as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
The most commendable thing about this book is Moore's obvious effort that he's put into getting the most comprehensive account he can. He truly scoured the globe to interview anyone who was of importance to the story, which given the relative anonymity of many of the people involved, is very impressive. Incredibly the one man he struggled get an interview with is perhaps the most well-known, Carl Lewis who seems to have lived up to his reputation. His interview with Ben Johnson added a lot to the book as being able to hear first-hand from the man himself was very interesting, providing some great soundbites as well.
He delves between the sprinting history and drug-use history quite interchangeable, I found the sprinting history to be more engaging as the drug-use side of the story is still a bit murky even now. I also would have liked if the purpose of the particular drug's that were used and their benefits and side effects were better explained as it's still not clear exactly what makes them so powerful other than the obvious in that they are steroids. the two seemed different in so many ways Carl was hard-working eloquent arrogant and elegant with an incredible last forty metres. Johnson on other hand was laid-back, quite (maybe due to his stutter) and explosive out of blocks with a powerful running style.
The rivalry is perhaps the most captivating as it seems the two and their respective camps had genuine animosity towards each other. Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson were constantly making digs towards each other in the media and in private, even twenty years later, Johnson still seems to harbour a grudge towards him. Moore even explains a theory which accuses the Lewis camp of deliberately spiking Johnson's beer after Seoul using the 'mystery man' Andre Jackson although its uncertain how much of this is just bitterness on Johnson's part. Another aspect revealed was just how disliked Lewis was by his fellow runners I always got the impression Lewis was a cool-laid-back figure that would get along well with anyone, but interviews with his contemporaries show the disdain many like Christie, Wells and Stewart had for him.
Moore gives a more nuanced perspective then you'll find anywhere in the media Carl Lewis by his own reckoning and by the public was seen as the 'clean' guy going up against the cheat and trying to win but it's evident that Johnson isn't even close to being the only sprinter in that time tainted with drugs. In fact six of the eight Seoul finalists were caught at some point in their career of using drugs earning the race's name as the dirtiest in history, even Carl Lewis was caught using a PED but was latter cleared as having unknowingly taken them.
The story is quite an interesting example of just how far people can fall just by their reputation alone. after his 9.79 run Johnson was a world record holder Olympic medalist and soon-to-be multi-millionaire with a bright future in sprinting ahead. After he was caught, he was vilified in the press, abandoned by his country, banned from sprinting and by the time of Moore interviewing him bitter, relatively poor and forgotten. To think if he had started his drug cycle earlier he may have gone to the grave as an Olympic gold medalist and the first man to run sub 9.8 without anyone knowing otherwise.
Overall this is a fantastic look at the rivalry between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis and the use of drugs in Athletics. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this period of sprinting.
Before reading this book I knew relatively little about the this period in sprinting other then Ben Johnson was a cheat and Carl Lewis was one of the greatest sprinters ever; after reading this book though I realise just how intriguing this period in athletics really was from the use of drugs to the rivalries and (for the time) mind-boggling times that were being set.
The first few chapters explain the conflicting rise of the two athletes, Carl Lewis came from an athletic family and was extremely gifted from a young age. Ben Johnson, on the other hand, came from a less well-off family and had a much more gradual rise to the top. Carl Lewis, for all his achievements, is presented as quite a pompous character due to comparing himself to Michael Jackson and his apparent need for prestigious sponsorships and recognition. it also delves into the reasons behind his dislike in the media throughout his career on-top of appearing arrogant he also was accused of being a Homosexual and progressive which played a role in his dislike in the 1980s media. After the 1984 Olympics which Lewis won Ben Johnson began to gradually climb the ranks in sprinting due to his coach Charlie Francis and his use of PED's. Ben Johnson after losing countless times to Lewis finally beat him in Zurich 1985 then went from strength to strength. He won almost every meeting after that including the world athletics final in which he set a new world record 9.83. then in Seoul he won gold again and set another world record before being disqualified for stanozolol. after that, disgraced Johnson went on a downhill streak having his reputation in taters losing sponsors and never reaching the same form again. carl in contrast would set a new world record in 1991 of 9.86 and is still remembered as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
The most commendable thing about this book is Moore's obvious effort that he's put into getting the most comprehensive account he can. He truly scoured the globe to interview anyone who was of importance to the story, which given the relative anonymity of many of the people involved, is very impressive. Incredibly the one man he struggled get an interview with is perhaps the most well-known, Carl Lewis who seems to have lived up to his reputation. His interview with Ben Johnson added a lot to the book as being able to hear first-hand from the man himself was very interesting, providing some great soundbites as well.
He delves between the sprinting history and drug-use history quite interchangeable, I found the sprinting history to be more engaging as the drug-use side of the story is still a bit murky even now. I also would have liked if the purpose of the particular drug's that were used and their benefits and side effects were better explained as it's still not clear exactly what makes them so powerful other than the obvious in that they are steroids. the two seemed different in so many ways Carl was hard-working eloquent arrogant and elegant with an incredible last forty metres. Johnson on other hand was laid-back, quite (maybe due to his stutter) and explosive out of blocks with a powerful running style.
The rivalry is perhaps the most captivating as it seems the two and their respective camps had genuine animosity towards each other. Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson were constantly making digs towards each other in the media and in private, even twenty years later, Johnson still seems to harbour a grudge towards him. Moore even explains a theory which accuses the Lewis camp of deliberately spiking Johnson's beer after Seoul using the 'mystery man' Andre Jackson although its uncertain how much of this is just bitterness on Johnson's part. Another aspect revealed was just how disliked Lewis was by his fellow runners I always got the impression Lewis was a cool-laid-back figure that would get along well with anyone, but interviews with his contemporaries show the disdain many like Christie, Wells and Stewart had for him.
Moore gives a more nuanced perspective then you'll find anywhere in the media Carl Lewis by his own reckoning and by the public was seen as the 'clean' guy going up against the cheat and trying to win but it's evident that Johnson isn't even close to being the only sprinter in that time tainted with drugs. In fact six of the eight Seoul finalists were caught at some point in their career of using drugs earning the race's name as the dirtiest in history, even Carl Lewis was caught using a PED but was latter cleared as having unknowingly taken them.
The story is quite an interesting example of just how far people can fall just by their reputation alone. after his 9.79 run Johnson was a world record holder Olympic medalist and soon-to-be multi-millionaire with a bright future in sprinting ahead. After he was caught, he was vilified in the press, abandoned by his country, banned from sprinting and by the time of Moore interviewing him bitter, relatively poor and forgotten. To think if he had started his drug cycle earlier he may have gone to the grave as an Olympic gold medalist and the first man to run sub 9.8 without anyone knowing otherwise.
Overall this is a fantastic look at the rivalry between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis and the use of drugs in Athletics. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this period of sprinting.