Title: 9.79′
Released: 2012
The Plot: In 1988, Ben Johnson won Olympic gold over 100 metres, but was stripped of his medals after a positive doping test.
Since then, five other of the finalists were implicated in doping controversies. Director Daniel Gordon conducts extensive interviews with Johnson and Carl Lewis in an effort to get to the murky bottom.
What the critics said:
“This is what a 30 for 30 documentary should be… What I like about 9.79 can be summed up by a quote from The Wire: “They flipped it.” My favourite 30 for 30s have us root for the villain and hate the hero.* In this case, I felt bad for Johnson, the admitted cheater who seemed the most truthful out of all the runners interviewed.” – Will Edam, Austin Chronicle.
Random YouTube comment:
“Great film. Incredible that the director was able to interview so many key players in this story.” – Dustin Marshall
YouTube credit: Bruno Andrade
