Linford Christie was an example of an athlete who came to fruition late in life. He was 26 years old went he came into public consciousness when he won the European indoor championship.
By the summer of 1993. Linford was Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion. He won bronze in the 1988 Olympics, upgraded later to silver when Ben Johnson was stripped of the title.
In 1991 Linford thought of packing it all in. He ran a personal best, the fourth fastest time ever and came fourth. In 1992 he became Olympic gold medallist.
Yet now Linford Christie is almost a forgotten figure to those under the age of 40. Shunned because of a failed drug test after his retirement. A one off race showed traces on nandrolone. He was cleared by British Athletics but it was not good enough for the IAAF. They suspended him for two years and it affected his coaching career.
In this documentary Linford talks candidly how the drug test which he disputes affected his post athletic career. His children wondering just where he has stashed all his medals. Even Linford is not sure. Maybe they bring bittersweet memories.
One journalist mentions the number of sports people who failed drug tests for nandrolone in the era. An explained spike which indicates that the tests may had been too sensitive or inaccurate. Linford mentions that his own disputed drug test was not immediately sent to the lab for testing.
Even before then, Linford was a divisive figure. There was a joke from a fellow athlete that Linford Christie was the most evenly balanced person he had ever met. He had a chip on both soldiers.
That overlooks some of the obstacles he had to overcome. The racism of London in the 1980s, the London police and even the athletic establishment. Linford would be constantly stopped for driving a stolen car. It was given to him by his sponsors.
The tabloid journalists disliked him. Maybe because Linford did not play the media game and he was a successful black athlete. See also Daley Thompson who also had issues with the British media. Then there was the media's infatuation on his lunchbox. Playing on the tropes of the black man being well endowed.
He gets chastised on a television show by ex footballer, ex drunk and Tory voter Jimmy Greaves for wearing tight lycra. Weird given that tight lycra is a sprinter's uniform. In short Linford took no rubbish from them and the press saw him as fair game.
There is a scene in this documentary where both Linford and his children are upset looking back at his obsession over the lunch box.
Since his Olympic victory in 1992. No British sprinter has come anywhere near winning the 100 meters gold medal. Of course now the media want to rehabilitate him.
He really did go off with the B of the bang and on to the history books.
