Linford Christie nominated for England Athletics Hall of Fame despite having tested positive for drugs in 1988 and 1999
Linford Christie has a history of winning medals for Great Britain. In the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games he took silver in both the 100m and the 4x100m. In the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games he won the 100m gold medal with a time of 9.96. Now, he may be voted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.
England Athletics nominated Christie as one of twelve sports figures from the past century that has a chance to be voted into the Hall of Fame. The decision came after UK Athletics allowed him to help top current British athletes prepare by delivering a motivational speech to them during the European Championships this year.
Christie has seen his share of controversy over his career. He earned his silver medal under the cloud of the Ben Johnson scandal. Johnson won the gold medal in the 100m in Seoul for Canada, and broke the world record with time of 9.79 only to lose both the medal and the world record after testing positive for anabolic steroids. Carl Lewis of the United States, who finished second, took gold after the disqualification and Christie the silver.
Christie ended up testing positive himself in Seoul for Pseudoephedrine, a stimulant often used in cold medication, but he did not lose his medal after the International Olympic Committee voted 11-10 to not disqualify him. In 1999 Christie was caught using Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, after a meet in Germany. Christie claimed that the drug test was positive because he had eaten avocados and used nutritional supplements. But this time he did not escape without penalty as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rejected the explanation and gave Christie a two-year ban.
At the time of the ban, UK Athletics felt that there was reasonable doubt as to whether or not Christie had intentionally taken the drug. The opinion was ignored by the IAAF and Christie was given a lifetime Olympic ban despite the opinion of UK Atheletics. Christie was 39 at the time and unlikely to be running again at an Olympic level.
In 2006, Christie was named as a senior mentor to athletes, although some did not agree with the decision to put him in that role after his positive drug test. "I don't think he should be in that mentor role," said marathon world record-holder, Paula Radcliffe, when Christie was announced as a mentor. "We have to make sure that the people in that mentor role have an integrity and strong sense of ethics and morals."
A month after he was granted the role of mentor, the then head of UK Athletics, Dave Collins, told BC Five Live that Christie was not a mentor, but rather a coach. "Linford as a mentor to young athletes? No, that's not what he's doing,” said Collins in 2006. “Linford is there in a technical coaching role.”
Christie has always denied using drugs to enhance his performance, stating that he would only take drugs if there was a reason, and that athletes of a substantial size are not necessarily steroid users.
The controversy will continue if he is entered into the Hall of Fame, despite the questions surrounding his positive drug tests. If he is denied entrance into the Hall of Fame, it will be solely a reflection of Christie’s ban, and not of his performance record. Not only was he the first Briton to run the 100m in less than ten seconds, but he still holds the British record of 9.87.
Along with his three Olympic medals in the 100m, Christie also won gold at the World Championships, the Commonwealth Games, and three times at the European Championships. He also won gold at the European Indoor Championships in the 200m and twice in the 60m.
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