Lewis Adds to His Johnson Drug Charge

Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis says he is sure Canadian track star Ben Johnson supplemented his steroid use with an unspecified amphetamine before competing in the 100-meter race at the 1988 Olympics.

Lewis made the allegation during an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors, which was published today.

“Everybody talked about it and knew it,” Lewis was quoted as saying. “Five weeks earlier in Zurich, he had the same lead over me in Seoul and he lost it. Five weeks later, he has the same lead and doesn’t lose an inch.”

Johnson defeated Lewis in their meeting at the 1988 Olympics with an amazing time of 9.79 seconds. But he was discovered to have been using anabolic steroids in the weeks before the race and was stripped of his gold medal.

Johnson’s attorney, Ed Futerman, denied both charges.

Futerman said the drug tests in Seoul “speak for themselves.”

“Since Seoul, Ben has been tested two times at random, with 48-hour notice, by the Canadian government,” Futerman said in a telephone interview from Toronto. “Both times he tested negative.”

Lewis, who finished second with a time of 9.92 seconds, was declared the winner of the race after Johnson’s disqualification and was awarded the gold medal.

“In the heats, he would run out of gas. He didn’t finish well. But in the final, I knew he was taking something . . . for his finish. We’re not talking about someone who was just playing coy. We’re talking about somebody who took something,” Lewis said.

He declined to identify the substance he believes Johnson took to enhance the performance of the steroids.

Lewis refused to confirm reports that he and Johnson would race after Johnson’s two-year international suspension is lifted on Sept. 25 but said such a venture is “a possibility, 50-50 at best.”