Description
Book SynopsisThe 1988 Seoul Olympics played host to what has been described by some as the dirtiest race of all time, by others as the greatest. The final of the men''s 100 metres at those Olympics is certainly the most infamous in the history of athletics, and more indelibly etched into the consciousness of the sport, the Olympics, and a global audience of millions, than any other athletics event before or since.
Ben Johnson''s world-record time of 9.79 seconds as thrilling as it was was the beginning rather than the end of the story. Following the race, Johnson tested positive, news that generated as many if not more shockwaves as his fastest ever run. He was stripped of the title, Lewis was awarded the gold medal, Linford Christie the silver and Calvin Smith the bronze.
More than two decades on, the story still hadn''t ended. In 1999 Lewis was named Sportsman of the Century by the IOC, and Olympian of the Century by Sports Illustrated. Yet his reputation was damaged by revel
Trade Review
will bring armchair athletes to the edge of their seats - and leave them with a very nasty taste in their mouths * Mail on Sunday *
a magnificent document about the Carl Lewis-Ben Johnson rivalry. It plunges you deep into the bitterness that marked their enmity and because Moore is the kind of journalist who will speak to 17 people when he could get the story from two, the breadth and detail is astonishing * The Times *
A remarkably fresh read given the amount of ink already spilled on the topic. Author Richard Moore has delivered what is certainly the most comprehensive account, and as close to definitive as possible without giving all the "answers" * Glasgow Herald *
A captivating and detailed account ... it reads like a thriller, which is exactly the right tone to adopt by author Richard Moore for a story dripping with skulduggery and intrigue ... compelling * Sunday Express *
The sportswriter Richard Moore tells the story at a sprinter's pace in his rollicking and well-researched The Dirtiest Race in History * Simon Kuper, Financial Times *
Written with a fine sense of balance, timing and tension * The Guardian *
Probably the finest sports book published this year * thewashingmachinepost.net *
Table of Contents
The Quest Prologue Part One: Carl and Ben 1. The Santa Monica Track Club 2. Picking Daisies 3. Ben and Charlie 4. The Quiet One 5. The Roots of Evil 6. Wanna be Startin' Somethin' 7. The Prince and the Missing Paperwork Part Two: Rivals 8. Lewis 8, Johnson 1 9. Big Ben and King Carl Part Three: Seoul 10. Dodging 11. The Glasnost Games 12. Sweating it Out 13. The Human Bullet 14. Deny, Deny, Deny 15. The Mystery Man Epilogue: Different Era, Different Time Zone, Same Thing Where Are They Now? Statistics Interviews Bibliography and Further Reading Acknowledgements Index
