Sprinter Ben Johnson was the fastest man in the 1988 Seoul Olympics but this was for a very short period of time because he was stripped off his medal due to a positive test for steroids. Johnson recorded 9.79 seconds beating Carl Lewis. A few days later, sports authorities invalidate his impressive 100 meter record because of steroid stanozolol.

Due to international humiliation , Canada’s sports authorities conducted an inquiry on the matter. It was later admitted by his trainer and coach Charlie Francis that he was responsible in giving the steroids to Ben Johnson. During the inquiry, Francis said that the steroids helped his athletes to perform faster and better. He said that the level of performance of his athletes during competition was due to the steroids he had given them. Because of this incident, he was prohibited to work with the national team and received a lifetime ban from coaching in Canada.

However, Francis’ career did not end after his ban. He still worked with many Olympic athletes like American sprinters Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones. The training regimen of Francis always includes something that would help improve the performance of his athletes. Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones were both implicated in steroid use and were also given sanctions including the forfeiture of their gold medals.

Athletics Canada head coach Alex Gardiner said that Francis may have learned from the East German doping program. “The tale goes that he convinced some of the East German coaches to give up their stories in exchange for Levi’s and American dollars. Whether it’s true or not, it wouldn’t surprise me,” he said during a phone interview with the Montreal Gazette. “He obviously learned some secrets of the drug world from them, too, but most importantly he learned how to design programs,” Gardiner added.

Although Charlie Francis has brought controversies to the Canadian sports, he also contributed good things. According to Gardiner, some of the training method is still in use by Canadian coaches. He described the training methods of Francis as built on speed and the mastery of the technical elements of sprinting. “He changed our thinking to as it should be. First of all, pay attention to the technical model, you have to be perfect because you have very little time to make a mistake. Secondly, develop speed first, then develop speed endurance next,” he said.

Due to the involvement of Francis to steroids, the Canadian sports was able to implement stricter policies on doping. They were able to clean the sport from performance enhancing drugs. It also led to the creation of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. The positive steroid test of Ben Johnson and the role of Charlie Francis as a coach dependent on steroids were considered as the turning point in Canadian sports. “It needed to happen. I think it took us as a nation of track and field coaches and nation of track and field fans and athletes to a much better place,” said Gardiner.

Francis was also a national athlete but due to an injury he decided to work as a coach. Athletes trained under Francis have a high regard for the coach. Olympian Angela Issajenko said that his coach was brilliant and she loved him. She believed everything he said to her. “Charlie was the most amazing person in the world to me. I want to hold onto the amazing memories and cherish them,” Issajenko added.

Charlie Francis, 61, died at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto after battling cancer for 5 years.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS