Former Ohio State athlete writes book about Ben Johnson’s doping scandal

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Picture this. Seoul, 1988. Ben Johnson has just set the world record in the men’s 100-meter dash and won gold, only to have his medal stripped due to a failed drug test.

Former Ohio State University volleyball player Mary Ormsby wrote a book about the case today and says Johnson’s story is still relevant today.

“It was a race for the ages. Four men ran under 10 seconds. I think that was the first time in history,” Ormsby said.

It was one of the most memorable moments of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul and developed into one of the biggest scandals in sports history.

“A phone call at about 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Seoul,” Ormsby recalled. “My boss at home said, ‘Go out and find Ben Johnson. The phone says he failed his drug test. Get him.'”

Ormsby reported on Johnson at the 1988 Summer Olympics for the Toronto Star. The sprinter tested positive for steroids and lost his gold medal, and the world record of 9.79 seconds was history.

Today, 36 years later, Ormsby says Johnson’s story deserves a second look.

“I wonder whether he was denied or denied due process at his hearing, which is the core of the book,” Ormsby said.

The former Buckeye re-examined the Canadian sprinter’s case in his new book, “World’s Fastest Man: The Incredible Life of Ben Johnson,” writing that Johnson did not receive a fair hearing and was singled out.

“Is it possible to convict a guilty person? And at that hearing, he was initially excluded from the hearing,” Ormsby said. “And very quickly, the Canadians didn’t bother to look at his actual drug test. None of the supporting documents. So they didn’t look at that drug test at all. They just assumed that the science was trustworthy and unassailable, and it may have been, but they didn’t test it or challenge it. They just accepted it.”

Ormsby said Johnson’s case was worth re-examining because doping continues to taint the sport at the highest levels. A recent New York Times report found that 23 Chinese swimmers were allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance.

“Athletes and the public need to have confidence in a system that has integrity, and right now there is no confidence,” Ormsby said. “What kind of performance are we seeing out there?”