Ben Johnson doesn’t seem to be very good judge of character.
According to a story via Mike Johnston of Sportsnet, the disgraced sprinter, who was stripped of his gold medals and world records from 1988 Seoul Olympics, for testing positive for steroids, told Jeff Blair of the Fan590, that he empathises with fellow cheat Lance Armstrong.
“I feel for him, I respect him as a man, as an athlete,” Johnson told Jeff Blair on Sportsnet 590 the Fan, Tuesday. “We all do things to be winners, to be champion.”
Johnson, who also received a lifetime ban from the sport for testing positive a second time, says that he feels connected to Armstrong, although he’s never met him.
“I’ve never met him, but he seems like a nice guy,” Johnson said. “We are in similar (situations) in our lives. He had a great natural ability, but it’s overshadowed by steroids.”