Shot Put, Men

Randy Barnes had set the world record of 23.12 (75-10¼) in 1990 and had the year’s best throw of 22.40 (73-6), and was favored. But he struggled in the final. He opened with only 19.46 (63-10¼), as Oleksandr Bahach (UKR) led the first round with 20.41 (66-11½). Barnes got 20.44 (67-0¾) in round two, but the lead was taken by Italy’s Paolo Dal Soglio with 20.65 (67-9), and Bagach improved to 20.50 (67-3¼). American John Godina came thru in the fourth and fifth rounds with 20.64 (67-8¾) and 20.79 (68-2½), to move into the lead in round five. Barnes was only in fourth place heading into the final round, but he produced – tossing the shot 21.62 (70-11¼) for the gold medal. Bagach also improved, bumping Dal Soglio out of the medals with 20.75 (68-1). In May 1990, Barnes had tested positive for methyltestosterone and was banned for two years. In April 1998, he tested positive for androstenedione and was banned for life. The life ban was controversial as androstenedione was an over-the-counter supplement in the United States and was not a banned drug internationally until a few months before Barnes’s positive test. He readily admitted taking it, not knowing it was banned. It was the same drug taken by major league home run king Mark McGwire, who also admitted to taking it. Bronze medalist Bagach also was subsequently banned for life. He had tested positive in 1989 for testosterone, tested positive for ephedrine in 1997 at the World Championships, and was banned for life in 2000 after a positive doping test for anabolic steroids.