Any Excuse to Talk About Ben Johnson

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, or maybe I'm just a sucker for men in skintight lycra, but I really enjoy track & field. Furthermore, I think Justin Gatlin's new world record in the 100-meter dash is a much bigger deal than, say, Barry Bonds not hitting a homerun or two NBA playoffs games being not remotely exciting. Yet, Gatlin's World's Fastest Man coup was barely mentioned on Sportscenter and ignored most other places as well. (The Washington Post sports page did give Gatlin's record above-the-fold coverage but, then again, The Post has always been good about covering Olympic sports.) Twenty years ago this would have been national news. Today it's less important than a Japanese baseball player's wrist.
Just how fast is the new world mark, 9.76? Consider that Ben Johnson blazed to his steroid-aided 1988 Olympic win (right) in 9.79 and that should give you an idea.
The decline in popularity of track stars began with Johnson's dirty win and tumbled preciptously in the wake of revelations about Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones. It's difficult to imagine track ever capturing the American imagination except for over a fortnight every Olympic year, and it's a shame. If Gatlin and his rival, Asafa Powell, are clean, their budding rivalry could be the most exciting thing to happen to track since Michael Johnson was rockin' gold kicks.