100m Olympic champion Linford Christie confronts his complicated legacy, in a story about race, respect and reputation

One of the most infamous examples of a British sportsperson who has suffered a similar downfall is Linford Christie.

During the late 1980s and 90s, Christie was Britain’s most fêted track and field athlete, and in 1993 he was undoubtably the fastest man on earth, having won successive golds at the Olympics, World and European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

Linford was as famous as any celebrity in the UK, with his victories uniting the country in celebration and prompting endless media coverage of his life.

After winning 24 medals in a highly decorated decade of dominance, the Jamaican-born sprinter seemed to disappear off our screens.

Then in February 1999, he briefly came out of retirement to compete at an indoor meeting in Dusseldorf and settle a bet with the athletes he was coaching.

However, during the event, Linford tested positive for banned steroid nandrolone and subsequently retired again from competing.

Although he was cleared by UK Athletics, the case was sent for arbitration by IAAF who imposed two-year ban.

The test was not the first time Linford had tested positive.

At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, he narrowly escaped suspension when a drugs test following the 200m revealed traces of the stimulant pseudoephedrine.

These days, the retrospective judgement of Christie’s glittering athletics career is still tainted by that one failed test in 1999.

But now, for the first time, he is confronting the past and considering his legacy.

In director Kwabena Oppong’s no-holds barred documentary, Linford looks back on his extraordinary career, from the highs of winning Olympic gold in Barcelona to the lows of failing a drugs test seven years later.

It’s a story told through exclusive interviews with Christie himself, as well as family, childhood friends, fellow athletes (Sally Gunnell and Jonathan Edwards), the sprinters he trained (Darren Campbell and Katherine Merry), as well as the journalists who followed his career, and even the doping authorities who were there when it ended in ignominy.

It’s fair to say, Christie’s journey was far from plain sailing and he often doubted his talent.

The now 64-year-old, who used to be known as ‘Lunchbox Linford’ for the effect his skintight running outfit had on his body parts, explains:

“I was born to run and regardless of whatever obstacles they threw in my way, it never stopped my belief.

“I was never the fastest, I just made everyone else believe that I was.

“I never focused on the last race, always on the next one, which is why this documentary has been something completely different for me as it has made me reflect on all aspects of my career.”

The film tells a story about respect and reputation in an era of unchecked racism and tabloid power.

In addition, it can be seen as an allegory about what it takes to be a winner, as well as a cautionary tale of how an illustrious career can be brought down by a single moment.