Star sprinter Carl Lewis knows the sting of defeat...to a steroid-fueled sprinter (Ben Johnson, Seoul Olympics, 1988). Lewis now 45 raises major questions about his sport - track and field.
"It's in trouble," the American told reporters at the USA Track & Field indoor championships in Boston, his first appearance at such an event in a decade. "When I see poker and I don't see track and field on TV - that's a problem."
Lewis, the most outstanding sprinter and long jumper since Jesse Owens, said the sport has partly been tainted by scandals that have stripped some champions of their titles after they tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
Lewis partially reverses himself, as athletes often do, and goes to the cliche that 'the majority don't'.
"The vast, vast, vast majority of (the athletes) do the right thing, they don't take drugs," Lewis said. "They want to do it right.
"That's what really bothers me...there is a minority that create problems for the sport."
Still, the 45-year-old Lewis urged today's track and field stars to clean up their act in other ways if they want to boost interest in the sport.
"It's not just about going across the finish line and getting your paycheck," he told Reuters in an interview. "(It's about) what else did you do to help your sport? What else did you do to help your community today.
The Nation reminds us, that when we see Olympic gold medals tainted by 'roids, when home run records will fall with the help of anabolic pharmacology, we should all cry out for competitive honesty in sport, rather than let these guys by easy with a ton of weak excuses.
Although we want due process in those accused of drug-cheating, on our part The Nation (GRG here) feels actually more brutal penalties will clean up sports...that is if the will of the sporting public wants athletics cleaned up.
If not, have fun watching championship poker....
I am not sure that Carl Lewis should be casting stones. As I recall he had tested positive for banned substances before the Seoul olympics and it was covered up by the USOC. Also Linford Christy who ended up with the Silver in Seoul had a postive test the year after. I think Ben Johnson is right when he stated that everyone else was cheating in Seoul. They should all have to give up their medals like Ben did.
Posted by: Al | 01/26/2008 at 08:19
Carl Lewis is greatest athtlete of all times.
Posted by: Ante | 05/19/2008 at 10:37
Carl lewis the greatest phony of all time. Whats his motto?
"Its all good , if you don't get caught"
Posted by: Rand | 08/11/2008 at 00:31
They busted Lewis for cough syrup, not steroids. Big difference.
Posted by: mike | 08/17/2008 at 22:41
And you believe the cough syrup theory ?
look outside the box....
Posted by: cytu | 08/19/2008 at 18:42
What about his DWI?????
Posted by: Bob | 01/14/2010 at 14:37
Everyone has been dirty since the 1960s. Everyone, including those running now.
If you want to see clean track and field, go watch a high school track meet.
Posted by: P Smith | 06/14/2012 at 11:25