Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis in 1988: How Big a Deal was the Race?

The Train wrote:

I was 9 when the race occurred and I can still remember watching Johnson explode out of the blocks and then 10 seconds later hearing, "UNBELIEVABLE.....NINE....SEVEN.....NINE!" It was incredible. He dusted the entire field. Great to watch

Here Charlie Jones/Mary Liquori's call. I still get goosebumps watching it!

Yes, Carl Lewis was huge in the US. He'd won four freaking golds in 84. (OK, it was a boycotted Olympics, but the average Joe doesn't make such distinctions.) He'd also won three at the 87 Worlds, including the 100, so he was incredibly hyped going into 88. This was made to be the main event of the entire Olympics. I remember watching it in a cabin near Lake Tahoe with a dude who didn't watch another second of the Olympics, but who would not miss this for the world.

Thanks for noting that. I too remember that video of how Ben "jumped" out of the blocks. It was incredible.

I was 23 for this race. I was a total track junkie so to say it was HUGE, doesn't speak for the general public. Nonetheless, taking down Calvin Smith's WR (altitude) by .14 was incredible. One of the things to note also was that at that time, to be a great sprinter, it was so much about relaxation and being smooth; the way Carl and Calvin ran, not as much a muscular powering attack of the track. So Ben's style was also unique.

I was (am still) a big Carl fan. Remember, he also didn't lose a LJ for about 60 straight competitions over ~7 years. I saw him win both Melrose in '84 and TAC outdoors in '91 on final jumps. He was always great competitor who rose to the challenge. I am a distance guy; saw Eamonn run the first sub 3:50 indoors and many other great races, but Carl's final jump at '84 Melrose easily goes down as my favorite track moment. (trailing 27' 3 1/2" to 27' 2" to Larry Myricks - He comes up with what still stands as the indoor WR at 28' 10 1/2"?? The anouncer hyping it up pre-jump about Carl's streak being on the line. He clearly has won when he hits the pit, then the measure and the announcement "Has won the LJ, new Melrose record, new Madison Square Garden record, and a NEW...WORLD... RECORD ...(can't hear anything over 20'000 screaming)"

Yes, you had to get your Melrose tickets ahead of time. Sold out a month before. So, can we blame Ben for the state of T&F in the USA now?

Rome 87 was a wr for Ben, and early in 88 he was having some problems at the end of races...so the anticipation / buildup was huge...when they arrived in Seoul, it was like beatlemania....pandemonium with the media.

Living in the Past wrote:

I don't think the anticipation was all that big of a deal. Carl Lewis was well known, but he was never extremely popular, although the public did warm up to him a little bit towards the end of his career.

Lewis came across as a prima donna, and a lot of people hadn't even heard of Ben Johnson. So there was no real anticipation except among hardcore track fans. There was far more hysteria leading up to the Mile of the Century between Ryun and Liquori.

The 100 meter race in 1988 was pretty incredible, as Johnson rocketed out of the blocks and managed to hold his lead. It wasn't until afterwards, when Johnson tested positive, that the race became high profile and was replayed a million times on television. It was bad publicity for the sport.

boy ,will my children be suprised,

Nerdy White Guy wrote:

Satch, you are about as black as my lilly white ass is.

I remember watching on TV and saying to others present: Look at Ben Johnson his chest is bursting his singlet,his biceps are bigger than the heads of the runners/sprinters next to him in the blocks,his eyes are yellow,and he sure looks a lot bigger than the guy who got smoked in the 84\' Olympic Games! He MUST BE ON THE JUICE!!

As a teenage track runner at the time, I was furious with Ben Johnson. I wrote a letter to the editor of my hometown newspaper detailing my thoughts (which was published and led to my college teammates making fun of me years later) about what he had done to our sport. Quite naaive now, I realize, but I am proud now of the passion I had for the sport while so young.

I was embarrased for Carl. "Ben caught a flyer..." I remember how good of a loser he was immediately following the race. I defended him then and would today for his Long Jump and Sprint successes.

You're right. If you were paying attention to Olympics advertising, the buildup was huge. The Ryun/Liquori matchup happened in 1971 in Philadelphia at the Martin Luther King Games. In other words, the anticipation was built entirely on the reputation of the two runners, not on the need for a rivalry to boost sales. The rivalry between Johnson and Lewis was significant, but it was bolstered by the Olympics.

Great thread!

Ben exploded out of the blocks much like Mark McCoy because they pushed off with both feet at the same time as opposed to driving with one leg like everyone else.

THe race was absolutely huge.

The positive test was being discussed by IOC officials and overheard by a reporter before they could cover it up so it had to be blown out in the open. My source is a very well connected person in the IAAF.

I sat beside Charlie Francis once at a party around 1985 and he went through a book of US olympians and explained what each athlete was on and how you could tell. All the big guns.

Ben worked out 5 to 6 hours a day at the Metro Track and field center. I'm a huge Carl Lewis fan; watched him win the PAN AM juniors in 1980 in Sudbury. Ben was extra juiced because he was injured in the indoors 1988 season.

People freak when I say this but his 9.79 was still amazing. Anyone who knows Ben well will tell you he is not a dumb guy. I also don't believe he is out of money. He made a lot and was pretty smart with it.