Image via Complex Original
The fastest man on Earth. It's a title that every 100 meter sprinter hopes to hold at some point in their career. It's a label many track and field athletes train night in and night out for. Sometimes, though, you have competitors like Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson who was stripped of his gold medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics, as well as his new world record of 9.79 seconds, after he tested positive for a banned substance called stanozolol.
Tonight at 8, ESPN will air 9.79*, a documentary on Johnson and the doping scandal that followed. In anticipation of the newest 30 for 30 film series doc, we take a look at those athletes, confirmed and alleged, who tarnished the record books with the help of a banned substance. From Barry Bonds and his tainted career home run mark to the rumored doping past of Lance Armstrong that led to seven consecutive Tour de France titles, here are The Biggest (Alleged and Confirmed) Steroid-Fueled Broken Records in Sports History.
RELATED: The 25 Most Unbreakable Records in Sports History
RELATED: The 25 Best Alleged (and Confirmed) Steroid Users in Baseball History
The First Five-Time Heavyweight Champion
Athlete: Evander Holyfield
Sport: Boxing
When: 1989-Present
At 49 years old, Evander Holyfield is still losing brain cells defying the odds and competing in the ring. Holyfield won his first world heavyweight title in 1989 when he knocked out Michael Dokes for the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title and won his most recent title in 2010 when he knocked out Francois Botha (yeah, us neither) for the vacant WBF heavyweight title. With that victory Holyfield became the first (and only) five-time heavyweight champion.
Of course, his accomplishments haven't come with adversity, especially from situations outside of the sport. On February 28, 2007, a man named "Evan Fields" with the same birthdate as Holyfield was linked to Applied Pharmacy Services, which was a pharmacy in Alabama that reportedly delivered illegal steroids and human growth hormone to athletes. In addition to sharing a similar date of birth, The Real Deal also has a similar address to that of this Mr. Fields and when they called the listed number, Holyfield answered. Hmm. But let us say this, he's innocent until proven guilty.
Most Home Runs By a Leadoff Hitter (50)
Athlete: Brady Anderson
Sport: Baseball
When: 1996
"That's just one more home run per week, just one more good swing." This statement was the explanation Brady Anderson gave for his unusual power performance in the 1996 season with the Orioles. When Anderson hit the half century mark that year, 26 more than his career high, people began speculating that it was more than just a good swing. While no one was ever able to confirm whether or not Brady did, in fact, use any performance-enhancing drugs, the suspicion and questions still exist.
Most Consecutive Saves Converted (84)
Athlete: Eric Gagne
Sport: Baseball
When: 2002-2004
From 2002 to 2004, there wasn't a relief pitcher as dominant as Eric Gagne. Throughout those seasons, Gagne set a record for most consecutive saves converted with 84 and in 2003, he was given the National League Cy Young award. However, after those sparkling years, Gagne's career took a nosedive due to back-to-back injury-plagued seasons. To add insult to injury, Gagne's name came up in the Mitchell Report in 2007 with accusations that the pitcher used human growth hormone. With his baseball days in the rearview, Gagne confessed to using HGH in 2010, but tried covering it up saying that he used it to recover from a knee injury. Last month Gagne said 80 percent of his Dodgers teammates used HGH. Did we mention that he's hawking his book? Hmm...this sounds slightly familiar.
Youngest Player to Reach 600 Home Runs
Athlete: Alex Rodriguez
Sport: Baseball
When: 8/5/2010
When Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player at 35 years old to hit his 600th career home run in 2010, many people believed that he'dbecome the next clean player to eclipse Bonds' career home run mark. Then, A-Rod came forth in February 2009 and confessed that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-2003 when allegations started spreading. A-Rod went on to win his first World Series title with the New York Yankees that season and continues to look like an absolute douchebag in all settings today.
First Female Athlete to Win Five Medals in One Olympics
Athlete: Marion Jones
Sport: Track & Field
When: Summer 2000
At the conclusion of the 2000 Summer Olympics, Marion Jones was on cloud nine after she won five medals (three gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x400 relay and two bronze in the long jump and 4x100 relay), a first for a female athlete in one Olympic Games. Five years later, Jones' ex-husband C.J. Hunter, who happened to be an Olympic shot-putter himself, testified under oath that he witnessed Marion injecting performance-enhancing drugs into her stomach while in the Olympic Village in Sydney. Initially, Jones denied the accusation to a grand jury but in 2007 she finally admitted to her PED use. She was subsequently sentenced to six months in jail for perjury and check fraud.
Most Cy Young Awards (Seven)
Athlete: Roger Clemens
Sport: Baseball
When: 1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2004, 2005)
Similar to Bonds' situation, the career of Roger Clemens is shrouded in mystery over cheating allegations, which makes his accomplishments, like his seven Cy Yong awards and Game 4 performance in the 2000 ALCS where he struck out a record 15 batters in a one-hit game, slightly tainted in the eyes of the public.
When the Mitchell Report was released in 2007, Clemens' name showed up alongside allegations of anabolic steroid use late in his career. Eventually, the matter was taken up by the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., which accused Clemens of perjury, false statements and obstruction of Congress. In 2008, prosecutorial misconduct led to a mistrial and four years later, Congress found Clemens not guilty on all counts of lying about never taking performance-enhancing drugs. *cues the soundtrack*
Fastest 100m Time (9.79)
Athlete: Ben Johnson
Sport: Track & Field
When: 1988
During the 1988 Olympics, Ben Johnson not only defeated his rival Carl Lewis in the 100m final to win the gold, but he also lowered the world record to 9.79 seconds. We're sorry, Johnson didn't just "lower" the record, he crushed it. The previous record was 9.93 set by Carl Lewis in 1987.
Following the 100m dash at the '88 Olympics, Johnson's urine was tested and the results showed stanozolol in his system. Eventually, the world record and the gold were stripped from Johnson, but in a case of "when it rains, it pours," five of the other finalists also tested positive for a banned substance. Guess misery does love company, huh?
Most Career Home Runs (762)
Athlete: Barry Bonds
Sport: Baseball
When: 9/5/2007
Barry Bonds has his fingerprints all over the MLB history books. From the record-setting seven Most Valuable Player awards (seven) to his 762 career home runs which broke the old high water mark of 755 homers held by Hank Aaron, Bonds would be a hands down, first ballot Hall of Famer...except for one issue: BALCO.
On November 15, 2007, Bonds was accused of lying under oath about his suspected use of steroids and he was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. After four years, the court convicted Bonds of only an obstruction of justice charge. It is very likely that the slugger will not receive any jail time, but when it comes to his admittance into Cooperstown, the shadow of consistent accusations and suspicion may be too large to escape. At least Bonds can take some solace in being No. 1 on this list of ours!
Seven Straight Tour de France Titles
Athlete: Lance Armstrong
Sport: Cycling
When: 1999-2005
Four years after Miguel Indurain of Spain won five straight Tour de France races, Lance Armstrong came onto the scene, took the world of cycling by storm, and in the words of LeBron James, he won "not one, not two, not three" but seven straight Tour titles. After one last attempt at a Tour de France comeback in 2010 where he finished in third, Armstrong tried to just fade to black but accusations over doping continued to follow him around. This August, Lance decided to end his fight against the charges and still awaits words whether he will be stripped of his titles. Hmm...are those the actions of a badass or jackass?
Most Home Runs In a Single Season (70)
Athlete: Mark McGwire
Sport: Baseball
When: 1999
The home run race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire captured the nation. Everyone was keeping track of their progress while they chased Roger Maris' record of 61 homers in a season. On September 8, 1998, Big Mac took a pitch from the Cubs' Steve Trachsel and snuck it over the left field wall for No. 62. McGwire's record of 70 home runs in a single season would only stand for a couple years until Barry Bonds hit 73 dingers just three seasons later.
But everything he accomplished would soon fade away in 2010 when McGwire confessed to "using steroids on and off for a decade." The relationship between himself and the people of St. Louis has improved since that time as Mac currently serves as the team's hitting coach. One of the best steroid users in baseball history? No doubt, son!