Benjamin Johnson was born in Falmouth, Jamaica, and emigrated to Canada in 1976,[2] residing in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario.

Johnson met coach Charlie Francis and joined the Scarborough Optimists track and field club, training at York University.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he reached the 100 metres final; after a false start, he won the bronze medal behind Carl Lewis and Sam Graddy with a time of 10.22.

He also won a bronze medal with the Canadian 4 × 100 m relay team of Johnson, Tony Sharpe, Desai Williams and Sterling Hinds, who ran a time of 38.70.

By the end of the 1984 season, Johnson had established himself as Canada's top sprinter, and on August 22 in Zürich, Switzerland, he bettered Williams' Canadian record of 10.17 by running 10.12.

[5] Johnson won both the Lou Marsh Trophy and Lionel Conacher Award, and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year for 1987.

"[6] On September 24, 1988, Johnson won the 100 metres final at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, lowering his own world record to 9.79 seconds.

[7] However, Park Jong-sei of the Olympic Doping Control Center found that Johnson's urine sample contained stanozolol, and he was disqualified three days after the race.

Johnson and coach Francis complained that they used performance-enhancing agents in order to remain on equal footing with the other top athletes.

Often dubbed "the dirtiest race in history," the 1988 100 m final had only two out of a total of eight runners who remained clean throughout their careers (Calvin Smith and Robson da Silva).

"[13][14] During an interview on the Toronto Mike'd Podcast, Johnson said the fact he switched sponsorships from Adidas to Diadora may have been a factor in having his medal stripped.

[15] On 28 September 2018, the Toronto Star ran an article on the lab report which was created on Johnson's sample during the 1988 Olympic Games.

It was produced by the IOC Doping Control Center in Seoul two days after Johnson handed in a urine sample taken after the 100m final.

[17] Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney watched Johnson set the new world record and after the race congratulated him over the phone.

Johnson was not the only participant whose success was questioned: Carl Lewis had tested positive at the Olympic Trials for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine.

[19] Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason.

[19] According to the IOC rules at the time, positive tests with levels lower than 10 ppm were cause of further investigation but not immediate ban.

"[19] Following Exum's revelations the IAAF acknowledged that at the 1988 Olympic Trials the USOC indeed followed the correct procedures in dealing with eight positive findings for ephedrine and ephedrine-related compounds in low concentration.

[22][23][24] Of the top five competitors in the race, only former world record holder and eventual bronze medalist Calvin Smith never failed a drug test during his career.

"[25][26] After the Seoul test, Johnson initially denied doping, but, testifying before the 1989 Dubin inquiry, a Canadian government investigation into drug abuse, he admitted that he had lied.

[27] In Canada, the federal government established the Commission of Inquiry Into the Use of Drugs and Banned Practices Intended to Increase Athletic Performance, headed by Ontario Appeal Court Chief Justice Charles Dubin.

The inquiry began in January 1989 and lasted 91 days, with 122 witnesses called, including athletes, coaches, sport administrators, IOC representatives, doctors and government officials.

Federal amateur sport minister Pierre Cadieux called Johnson a national disgrace, and suggested he consider moving back to Jamaica.

[34] In a January 1, 2006 interview,[35] Johnson claimed that he was sabotaged by a "Mystery Man"[36] inside the doping control room immediately following the 100 metres final in Seoul.

In 2012, the lawsuit was dismissed by the Ontario Superior Court by summary judgment on the basis that "there were no genuine issues raised requiring a trial".

[40] In March 2006, television spots featuring Johnson advertising an energy drink, "Cheetah Power Surge", started to receive some airtime.

The campaign tagline was "Putting the 'Roid in Android" and concluded with Johnson in the starters' block on a racing track, telling punters to "get on it!"

[43] The CBC Radio documentary series Rewind broadcast an episode titled Ben Johnson: A Hero Disgraced [44] on September 19, 2013, for the 25th anniversary of the race, revealing 20 athletes tested positive for drugs but were cleared by the IOC at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

An International Olympic Committee (IOC) official told the CBC that endocrine profiles done at those games indicated that 80 percent of the track and field athletes tested showed evidence of long-term steroid use, although few were banned or had their medals stripped.

In October 2012, ESPN and the BBC dual-financed a documentary entitled 9.79*, which explores the doping scandal of Ben Johnson at the 1988 Summer Olympic 100 metre final.