It Should Have Been Gold: The Silent Runner Speaks

In the dirty business of track & field, Calvin Smith was the sprinter who always ran clean. He strongly believes he is in the minority.Hard work, dedication, practice, and wanting victory led him to Olympic gold in 1984. But it’s a victory he says was tainted. Now that he’s retired, he can finally explain why.He won a bronze medal in the 100 meter sprint at the 1988 Games. It should have been gold, he says. Turns out, he was the only clean runner among the medalists.Calvin Smith is an honorable American athlete. He always played fair and never cheated like those men and women who took performance-enhancing drugs. This is his story, from his upbringing in rural Mississippi, to his life now, off the track.