THE SIDELINES : Ben Johnson Looks to ’92 Olympics

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, banned two years from international competition after testing positive for steroid use at the Seoul Olympics, told an Italian television interviewer that he is training for a comeback next year with an eye toward the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

“My dream is to compete in the next Olympics. I want to face Carl Lewis again,” Johnson said in a taped interview to be broadcast Thursday.

Johnson, accompanied by his manager, Larry Heidelbrecht, remained tight-lipped during the interview with veteran Italian entertainer Mike Bongiorno about accusations by his physician, Jamie Astaphan, that he used steroids. However, he said he was “concerned” about his upcoming testimony at the Canadian inquiry about drug use by athletes. Johnson is scheduled to appear in front of Canadian inquisitors Monday.

“At present I train for an entire week and then I stop the following week,” Johnson said. “My form and my weight are the same as before. My times are also very good. . . . I recently clocked a world-level time over 60 meters.