Ben Johnson Olympic final 1988

[lkolivakis]

I’ll never forget this race, watched it alone as a teenager in basement of my house and was screaming of joy when Ben Johnson won. He will always be the fastest man that ever lived in my books but I love Bolt, great sprinter and pure class.

[richardevans]

Out of all the many of sports I've watched over 40 years, this race has always stayed in my mind

[kgonza]

I was 15 yrs old and I’ll never forget this. Born & raised in Chicago and I always cheer for team USA. My jaw dropped when I watched this man run the most amazing final I’ve ever seen to date. Gold or no gold, this race will always be mentioned when you talk about the best Olympic moments in history. Ben was a man amongst boys that day and they robbed him.

[aardvark]

Ben Johnson did a Sportsbet ad in Australia recently still looks amazing at nearly 60, still legendary!

[starwarsrebel]

Seoul, South Korea. I remember this day well. The entire crowd, 70, 000 Korean fans, all cheering for Ben Johnson. I remember the chants, "Ben! Ben! Ben!" I saw a few Americans in the stand that were the only ones cheering for Carl Lewis. The Koreans had no interest in him. They were all for Ben. Absolutely loved it.

[gerardguitarist]

I remember that race like it was yesterday. Johnson exploded out of the blocks with an amazing reaction time. He was gone after only 10 meters. For me it was one if the biggest moments in sports history. And nobody thought 9.79 could ever be beaten. As Nathan Diaz says: They're all on steroids...

[roukemamd]

I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.

[stephenpayne]

Proper fans of sprinting know that you CANNOT take the gold away from Ben Johnson when EVERY runner in the race was 100% juiced. Therefore this was, remains and always will be one of the greatest sprint performances in the history of the sport. Ben, you legend!

[jtoexternal]

Usain Bolt was 2 years old in 1988 at the time of this race, 9.79 Seconds. Usain Bolt had to grow up as 23 year old in the year 2009 to reduce the time by 0.21 seconds to 9.58 seconds. Usain Bolt had to wait 21 years to reduce this time by 0.21 seconds. Really amazing.

[gwine]

Ben was correct when he said: everyone in that race was juiced, so I'm still the fastest.

[Tar_mac]

36 years later, in 2024, the Olympic 100m race was won with a 9.79, that's how amazing Ben was.

[lduranceau]

One of the most exciting 100m races ever run. We all watched the TV as the anticipated moment approached. The result was fantastic if you were Canadian, which I am. Too bad Ben Johnson was disqualified. I still get goose bumps today every time I watch it.

[pjoseph]

I will say this once and for the last time. Carl Lewis doped. Everyone doped. Look at Florence Griffith Joyner, and the whole US Team. That was the world back then. Ben's superiority was not the doping. It was the combination of a superb physique, (as is Bolt's), his body was beautiful, like a cheetah (forget the "jokes"); he had extremely quick reflexes, rapid speech pattern, thought pattern---hence being faulted for false starting (he never false started---it was the fact that his reflexes and reaction time to the gun was so quick, quicker than anyone else's in history, hence his incredible starts; his superior training, focused upon fast starts, perfect technique, breathing, form, relaxation, concentration; heavy weightlifting: bench-pressing 400 pounds, plus, seated leg press at 800 pounds. I met him in Toronto in the frono0t patio of a restaurant. I spoke with him for nearly half an hour. One of the highlights of my life. He was very kind, quiet, generous, obviously highly intelligent, and exceeding humble. He waved to me when he left. A class act.

[xdecipherousx]

Ben Johnson was/is/never will be replaced as 'the' sprinter.

[josephvelasquez]

It was the most beautiful and perfect 100 that I have ever seen. Ben was right they were all juiced. Ben had the best meds and trained the hardest lifted the most weight and did it most properly.

[nivan]

What a sprinter he was.. every person who loves athletics would never forget this race..

[samson]

Ben was the best in his era. That win should stay. Legit

[ritanmartinez]

The greatest race in history. Ben Johnson was a superb runner, this clip shows what an incredible athlete he was.

[Fabiano]

Crossed by the greatest hypocrisy ever seen in sport. Carl Lewis, Linford Christie both Olympic gold medalists were caught in doping. The American with a physicist wide open by Anabilziantes (Florence Griffith-Joyner) was never caught. Ridiculous. For me Ben will be remembered for being an extremely strong runner with a strong start and after getting upright to increase his speed and be steady, something no sprinter in the world has ever done. Bolt starts poorly, but Bolt is on another level. Ben was 20 years ahead of his time.

[christiancallender]

This was by far the greatest 100M final I ever saw.