Doping Scandals

Some of the biggest drug scandals in the history of track and field:

* Ben Johnson, Canada, sprinter--Johnson was stripped of his Olympic gold medal and 100-meter world record after testing positive for steroids at the 1988 Seoul Games. After serving a two-year suspension, he later received a lifetime ban for testing positive for high levels of testosterone in 1993. Last month, the International Amateur Athletic Federation rejected his petition for reinstatement.

* Mary Slaney, United States, distance runner--The 1983 world champion in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters was given a two-year retroactive ban after testing positive for abnormally high levels of T-E (testosterone-epitestosterone) at the 1996 Olympic trials. Slaney claimed the high levels were due to birth control pills she was taking. She has repeatedly proclaimed her innocence and is still fighting the charges. Slaney has filed lawsuits against the IAAF and the U.S. Olympic Committee, which administered the original test.

* Katrin Krabbe, Germany, sprinter--Krabbe, the 100- and 200-meter champion at the 1991 World Championships at Tokyo, received a one-year ban in 1992 after she admitted taking the banned substance clenbuterol in an asthma medicine. Krabbe maintained she was unaware it was on the list of banned drugs. Three years ago, a German court ruled the German federation’s one-year ban was appropriate but that the IAAF had no right to extend Krabbe’s suspension beyond the one year.

* Butch Reynolds, United States, sprinter--Reynolds, who set the world record in the 400 meters in 1988, received a two-year ban after a positive steroid test in 1990. USA Track and Field later exonerated Reynolds, but the IAAF refused to budge. Reynolds won a $27-million civil judgment against the IAAF, only to see it overturned, and the IAAF extend his suspension through Jan. 1, 1993.

* Dennis Mitchell, United States, sprinter--Mitchell, the 100-meter bronze medalist in the 1992 Olympics and two-time world championship bronze medalist, was handed a two-year suspension from competition after testing positive for high levels of testosterone. Mitchell will be ineligible from April 1, 1998, until March 31, 2000. USA Track and Field cleared Mitchell in December, but the IAAF last month overturned the ruling and banned him for two years.

* Linford Christie, Britain, sprinter--The 1992 Barcelona Olympic 100-meter champion and 1993 world champion tested positive for nandrolone following an indoor meet in Dortmund, Germany, in February. The 39-year-old denies he used the banned substance, claiming there was no point since he has effectively retired from top competition.

* Javier Sotomayor, Cuba, high jumper--The world indoor and outdoor record holder and the only high jumper to clear 8 feet (2.4 meters), Sotomayor was stripped of his gold medal at the Pan American Games two weeks ago after testing positive for cocaine. Sotomayor denies taking the substance and insists something he ingested must have been contaminated. He faces a possible two-year ban.

* Merlene Ottey, Jamaica, sprinter--The veteran sprinter with the most medals (14) in the history of the world championships withdrew Wednesday from the upcoming edition in Seville, Spain, after her “A” sample turned up positive for nandrolone from a test last month in Lucerne, Switzerland. The “B” sample has not been tested.