Disgraced Canadian track coach Francis dies

Charlie Francis, the former coach of sprinter Ben Johnson, died at the age of 61 on Wednesday, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Francis coached Johnson to a Gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

But the euphoria was short-lived. Days after the historic 9.79-second race, Johnson tested positive for steroids.

Later, Francis would reveal that he encouraged his star athlete to take performance-enhancing drugs, saying all of the top sprinters in the world were doing the same.

(Years later, it was revealed that six of the eight sprinters in the 100m final at the 1988 Games had connections to drugs, including American Carl Lewis, who was awarded the Gold medal)

Johnson’s only flaw was that he got caught, Francis told a national investigation in 1989, known as the Dubin Inquiry, which examined the problems of drug use by Canadian athletes.

Although Francis is best known for his role in the Ben Johnson scandal, he also gained a reputation as one of the greatest track and field coaches in the world. Athletes praised his methods for being highly scientific and ahead of his time.

Despite receiving a lifetime ban from coaching, he still acted as an adviser to American sprinters Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones in 2003. Francis was routinely seen around the facilities at York University offering tips to athletes in Toronto’s local track scene.

Supporters point to Francis as an important builder of the sport in the Toronto-area. Detractors suggest he brought shame to track and field by encouraging his athletes to cheat and put their bodies in danger.

Love him or hate him, Francis played a critical role in one of the most memorable sporting episodes in Canadian history.

Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail has written more on Francis and his legacy. In another article, Randy Starkman of the Toronto Star recalls how Francis repeatedly tried to blow the lid off steroid scandals in the years after Johnson was caught, but few would listen.