Lewis to Help in Canadian Steroid Inquiry

Carl Lewis said Thursday that he isn’t out to “crucify” rival Ben Johnson but has volunteered to cooperate with the Canadian inquiry into steroid use.

“I think we need to get the whole problem into the open,” Lewis was quoted as saying by the Toronto Star. “A lot of positive things could come out of this.”

Lewis, the runner-up, was given the gold medal for the 100-meter dash at the Seoul Olympics after Johnson, the first-place finisher, had tested positive for anabolic steroids. Johnson ran the race in 9.79 seconds, the fastest time ever.

Johnson, who was banned for 2 years by the International Amateur Athletic Federation, the world governing body of track and field, maintains that he never knowingly used drugs to enhance his performances.

“He knew,” Lewis was quoted as saying. “Steroids are the type of drug that brings tremendous changes in the body. You get a deeper voice, acne, hair growth, you become more aggressive. Just think of the odds of him not knowing.”