Two Horses Beat Johnson, Muscle Car Doesn't
October 17, 1998 - 0:0
CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island Ben Johnson didn't quite have the horsepower to make his return to racing a triumph. A 17-year-old Morgan saddlehorse and a fast-stepping harness pacer beat the notorious sprinter in a widely-publicized charity race Thursday night. Johnson did, however, leave a race car with a 355-cubic-inch engine spinning its wheels on a muddy track. It was all in aid of the Charlottetown branch of the Children's Wish Foundation and may have been part of a campaign by Johnson to have himself reinstated for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Johnson, 36, hasn't competed since receiving a lifetime suspension from the International Amateur Athletic Federation in 1993 after a second positive drug test.
The 100-meter champion was stripped of his Olympic gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics after he tested positive for steroids. Hopefully I can get the chance to be reinstated and compete against the best, said Johnson, who has been thwarted repeatedly in his attempt to win reinstatement into track. If the public accepts me and loves me and wants me to come back.
We are all human beings, we all make mistakes and everybody forgives and we go on with life. The charity race attracted attention far and wide and, for the most part, it was good-natured. Both Johnson and his agent, Morris Chrobotek, rejected suggestions he was turning his past glory and infamy into a sideshow. Ben is not a circus, said Chrobotek. We did this strictly to raise money for children with life-threatening illnesses.
At least 5,000 spectators jammed the grandstand at Charlottetown driving park to watch the competition between man, beast and machine. The event raised more than $7,000 for the Children's Wish Foundation, which helps sick kids. Johnson was an early favorite to beat the horses and the car and he led briefly. But he was quickly passed by the horses in a race that had staggered distances.
Johnson ran 80 meters, the pacer 100, the Morgan 120 and the car 140. The crowd went wild as Johnson flashed across the finish line, respectably close to the steeds. He's the man, whooped Lisa Woodgate of Charlottetown. It was man against machine and horse and, of course, we wanted the man to win. At least we know man is faster than machine.
The Morgan saddlehorse, a workhorse that had never before been raced, was ridden by veteran Jockey Lloyd Duffy of Charlottetown. Duffy said before the race he didn't think he'd be able to beat Johnson. The track was muddy and my horse had no shoes on and I figured he'd be skating all over the race track, the Jockey said. But once I got him rolling, he handled it pretty good.
The Morgan, named Windsong, looked nervous as he pranced on to the track. Windsong's owner, Yogi Fell, spent days trying to get animal used to the loud noises of the track, but he looked spooked as cameras flashed and speakers blared. Johnson, who said he still hopes to fulfill his destiny as the fastest man in the world, said he will consider more fund-raising races.
However, Chrobotek said that doesn't mean Johnson will submit to the ridiculous. He said he recently turned down a request from a U.S. television network to have Johnson race a cheetah. (Reuter)
The 100-meter champion was stripped of his Olympic gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics after he tested positive for steroids. Hopefully I can get the chance to be reinstated and compete against the best, said Johnson, who has been thwarted repeatedly in his attempt to win reinstatement into track. If the public accepts me and loves me and wants me to come back.
We are all human beings, we all make mistakes and everybody forgives and we go on with life. The charity race attracted attention far and wide and, for the most part, it was good-natured. Both Johnson and his agent, Morris Chrobotek, rejected suggestions he was turning his past glory and infamy into a sideshow. Ben is not a circus, said Chrobotek. We did this strictly to raise money for children with life-threatening illnesses.
At least 5,000 spectators jammed the grandstand at Charlottetown driving park to watch the competition between man, beast and machine. The event raised more than $7,000 for the Children's Wish Foundation, which helps sick kids. Johnson was an early favorite to beat the horses and the car and he led briefly. But he was quickly passed by the horses in a race that had staggered distances.
Johnson ran 80 meters, the pacer 100, the Morgan 120 and the car 140. The crowd went wild as Johnson flashed across the finish line, respectably close to the steeds. He's the man, whooped Lisa Woodgate of Charlottetown. It was man against machine and horse and, of course, we wanted the man to win. At least we know man is faster than machine.
The Morgan saddlehorse, a workhorse that had never before been raced, was ridden by veteran Jockey Lloyd Duffy of Charlottetown. Duffy said before the race he didn't think he'd be able to beat Johnson. The track was muddy and my horse had no shoes on and I figured he'd be skating all over the race track, the Jockey said. But once I got him rolling, he handled it pretty good.
The Morgan, named Windsong, looked nervous as he pranced on to the track. Windsong's owner, Yogi Fell, spent days trying to get animal used to the loud noises of the track, but he looked spooked as cameras flashed and speakers blared. Johnson, who said he still hopes to fulfill his destiny as the fastest man in the world, said he will consider more fund-raising races.
However, Chrobotek said that doesn't mean Johnson will submit to the ridiculous. He said he recently turned down a request from a U.S. television network to have Johnson race a cheetah. (Reuter)