Ben Johnson's coach loses cancer battle

(GETTY IMAGES)

Charlie Francis, the sprint guru who infamously turned Ben Johnson into the world's fastest man, fuelling him with anabolic steroids, has died aged 61. He had battled cancer for five years.

A Canadian sprint champion in his youth, Francis was the coach who transformed Johnson from an international also-ran into the untouchable human speed machine who took the 100m world record to new limits at the 1987 World Championships in Rome (9.83sec) and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul (9.79sec) – but with a vital ingredient that became apparent when Johnson latterly tested positive for stanozolol.

Francis was banned for life by Athletics Canada but subsequently coached the drugs-tainted American sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery.