Bishop Dolegiewicz
Encyclopedia
Zbigniew "Bishop" Dolegiewicz (July 8, 1953 – October 29, 2008) was a Canadian
professional track and field
athlete and coach who specialized in the shot put
and the discus throw
.
A tall and muscular athlete, he won All-America
n honours while at the University of Texas
and was the 1975 World University
champion in the shot put. A silver medal
at the 1975 Pan American Games
was followed by his first Olympic appearance at the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal
. He won a Commonwealth Games
bronze on home turf in 1978 and also set a Canadian record of 20.83 m in the shot put that year.
He won a second Pan American medal in 1979 and began competing in the World's Strongest Man
competition, highlighted by a fourth place finish in 1980. He represented Canada at the first World Championships in Athletics in 1983, competing in the qualifying stage, and finished eleventh in the shot put final at the 1984 Olympic Games
in Los Angeles
– the best finish by a Canadian at the time. He retired in 1985 and moved into coaching, training throwers at the University of Saskatchewan
and Southern Utah University
.
A steroid user during much of his career, Dolegiewicz testified at the Dubin Inquiry in 1989, revealing that he had taken and distributed Dianabol. He sold the drug to Charlie Francis
in 1981, who acquired it for his trainee Ben Johnson (the athlete whose failed test sparked the inquiry). Dolegiewicz also stated that he believed steroid use was so widespread in the throwing events that he could not name an individual who had not taken the drug. The comments to the governmental commission resulted in the loss of his Canadian shot record and his dismissal from his post at the University of Saskatchewan. He died in 2008 at the age of 55.
, he began studying at the University of Texas
in 1972 and ranked sixth in the shot put at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
the next year. Muscular in build and standing at six foot six inches tall (1.98 m), he improved to fourth place at the following year's competition. During his time competing for the college's Texas Longhorns athletic team
he earned All-America
n honours three times: outdoors in 1973–1974, and indoors in 1974. He began competing internationally in 1975 and won a gold medal
at the 1975 World University Championships in Athletics before gaining a silver medal
at the Pan American Games
. In addition to this, he took national level honours with a win in the discus at the Canadian Athletics Championships.
for the 1976 Montreal Olympics
. However, he fouled three times and ended his first major competition without a mark to his name. He won back-to-back national shot put titles in 1976–1977, but a year later he finished behind fellow Canadian Bruno Pauletto at both the Canadian championships and the 1978 Commonwealth Games
in Edmonton
, where Dolegiewicz took the bronze medal
with a throw of 18.45 m. That year he achieved his personal best throw in the shot, tossing the metal ball a distance of 20.83 m – a Canadian record.
Dolegiewicz regained his national shot put title in 1979 with a championship record throw of 20.23 m and finished ahead of Pauletto to take the silver medal at the 1979 Pan American Games
. He also represented the Americas
team at the 1979 IAAF World Cup
, where he finished in fifth place. In the next season he did not take part in the 1980 Summer Olympics
, but instead competed at the 1980 World's Strongest Man
competition. He gained 56 points in the strength events and finished in fourth, one place behind fellow thrower-cum-strongman
Geoff Capes
. He returned at the 1981 World's Strongest Man
, but managed only tenth place on that occasion. On the athletics circuit that year he won a silver at the Pacific Conference Games
, as well as another national title and fifth place at the 1981 IAAF World Cup
.
Dolegiewicz had begun to covertly use and sell anabolic steroids over this period. In mid-1981 he sold 500 tablets of Dianabol to track coach Charlie Francis
, marking the beginning of sprinter Ben Johnson's drug use. The 1982 season saw him win his last national title in the shot put, but he also managed to win his first international medal in the discus that year, taking the bronze at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
behind Bradley Cooper
of the Bahamas and Rob Gray (Canada's number one in the event). The inaugural World Championships in Athletics
was held in 1983 and Dolegiewicz was in attendance for Canada. However, neither he nor his compatriot Bruno Pauletto progressed past the qualification stage. Dolegiewicz also saw the opportunity to sell Dianabol at the international competition, and he brought along several hundred tablets of the drug on the trip to Helsinki
. He also began supplying Mike Spiritosa, another Canadian thrower, with drugs over the period.
He gave his best Olympic performance at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
, where he ranked eleventh in the shot put final of the competition. This was Canada's best ranking in the men's Olympic shot put until 2008. Dolegiewicz retired from the sport in 1985, feeling that it was inundated with drug users. With active competition behind him, he became a coach and took up a position at the University of Saskatchewan
, later moving to Southern Utah University
.
sparked a national outcry and an investigation was launched into drug use within the sport – the Dubin Inquiry. Dolegiewicz testified as part of the governmental review. He admitted to distributing drugs and also his own personal usage, which spanned over a decade. Speaking before the commission, he estimated that half of the throwers at college level used steroids and said that among his peers on the global stage he "would be hard-pressed to find the name of an individual who hasn't used steroids".
His revelations cost him both his coaching role at the University of Saskatchewan and his Canadian shot put record. Among his statements, he also said that he looked upon his past steroid use with regret, noting that he had suffered mentally and physically as a direct result. While still working as a coach, he had used these experiences in order to warn the next generation of athletes of the dangers of drug use: "I give people the examples of individuals that I have known that have gotten sick from the use of steroids and I try to come across and give the kids the message, 'Look, you're going to pay the price at some point in time.
He began to have circulatory and heart problems and on October 29, 2008, he died in his sleep at the age of 55. He was survived by his wife Anna Dolegiewicz – a former student of his – as well as his parents and a brother.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete and coach who specialized in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
and the discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
.
A tall and muscular athlete, he won All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n honours while at the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and was the 1975 World University
1975 Summer Universiade
The 1975 Summer Universiade, also known as the VIII Summer Universiade, took place in Rome, Italy. The 1975 Universiade only featured athletics, other disciplines having been cancelled, and was therefore referred to as the World University Championships in athletics.-Medal table:...
champion in the shot put. A silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 1975 Pan American Games
1975 Pan American Games
The 7th Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the 2nd Pan American Games were held there...
was followed by his first Olympic appearance at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He won a Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
bronze on home turf in 1978 and also set a Canadian record of 20.83 m in the shot put that year.
He won a second Pan American medal in 1979 and began competing in the World's Strongest Man
World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
competition, highlighted by a fourth place finish in 1980. He represented Canada at the first World Championships in Athletics in 1983, competing in the qualifying stage, and finished eleventh in the shot put final at the 1984 Olympic Games
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
– the best finish by a Canadian at the time. He retired in 1985 and moved into coaching, training throwers at the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
and Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University, or SUU, is located in Cedar City, Utah. It was founded in 1897 as an extension of the Agricultural College of Utah, by the citizens of Cedar City.During its history, the school has been known as:...
.
A steroid user during much of his career, Dolegiewicz testified at the Dubin Inquiry in 1989, revealing that he had taken and distributed Dianabol. He sold the drug to Charlie Francis
Charlie Francis
Charles Merrick "Charlie" Francis was a sprint coach most noteworthy for being the trainer of sprinter Ben Johnson, the first competitor to be stripped of an Olympic gold medal for using banned drugs, and sprinters Angella Issajenko, Mark McKoy, and Desai Williams...
in 1981, who acquired it for his trainee Ben Johnson (the athlete whose failed test sparked the inquiry). Dolegiewicz also stated that he believed steroid use was so widespread in the throwing events that he could not name an individual who had not taken the drug. The comments to the governmental commission resulted in the loss of his Canadian shot record and his dismissal from his post at the University of Saskatchewan. He died in 2008 at the age of 55.
College and early years
Originally from TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, he began studying at the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
in 1972 and ranked sixth in the shot put at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It has three divisions: Division I, II, and III. Athlete's individual performances earn points for their institution and...
the next year. Muscular in build and standing at six foot six inches tall (1.98 m), he improved to fourth place at the following year's competition. During his time competing for the college's Texas Longhorns athletic team
Athletic sports
Athletics is a term encompassing the human competitive sports and games requiring physical skill, and the systems of training that prepare athletes for competition performance. Athletic sports or contests, are competitions which are primarily based on human, physical competition, demanding the...
he earned All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n honours three times: outdoors in 1973–1974, and indoors in 1974. He began competing internationally in 1975 and won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 1975 World University Championships in Athletics before gaining a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the Pan American Games
Athletics at the 1975 Pan American Games
The Athletics Competition at the 1975 Pan American Games was held in Mexico City, Mexico.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*...
. In addition to this, he took national level honours with a win in the discus at the Canadian Athletics Championships.
Olympics and World Strongman
After winning the event at the 1976 French Athletics Championships, he was selected in the discus for the Canadian Olympic teamCanada at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Canada was the host nation for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. 385 competitors, 261 men and 124 women, took part in 173 events in 23 sports.-Medalists:...
for the 1976 Montreal Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. However, he fouled three times and ended his first major competition without a mark to his name. He won back-to-back national shot put titles in 1976–1977, but a year later he finished behind fellow Canadian Bruno Pauletto at both the Canadian championships and the 1978 Commonwealth Games
Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
At the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada. A total of 38 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 15 by female athletes.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:Key:-References:...
in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, where Dolegiewicz took the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
with a throw of 18.45 m. That year he achieved his personal best throw in the shot, tossing the metal ball a distance of 20.83 m – a Canadian record.
Dolegiewicz regained his national shot put title in 1979 with a championship record throw of 20.23 m and finished ahead of Pauletto to take the silver medal at the 1979 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 1979 Pan American Games
The Athletics Competition at the 1979 Pan American Games was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*...
. He also represented the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
team at the 1979 IAAF World Cup
1979 IAAF World Cup
The 2nd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on August 24–26, 1979, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada.-Men:|width="50"| ...
, where he finished in fifth place. In the next season he did not take part in the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
, but instead competed at the 1980 World's Strongest Man
1980 World's Strongest Man
The 1980 World's Strongest Man was the 4th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Bill Kazmaier from the USA. It was his first title after finishing third the previous year. Lars Hedlund from Sweden finished second after finishing second the previous year, and Geoff Capes from the United...
competition. He gained 56 points in the strength events and finished in fourth, one place behind fellow thrower-cum-strongman
Strongman (strength athlete)
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
Geoff Capes
Geoff Capes
Geoffrey Lewis Capes is a former athlete, strongman and professional Highland Games competitor...
. He returned at the 1981 World's Strongest Man
1981 World's Strongest Man
The 1981 World's Strongest Man was the 5th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Bill Kazmaier from the USA. It was his second title. Geoff Capes from the United Kingdom finished second after finishing third the previous year, and Dave Waddington from the USA finished third. The contest...
, but managed only tenth place on that occasion. On the athletics circuit that year he won a silver at the Pacific Conference Games
Pacific Conference Games
The Pacific Conference Games were a quadrennial athletics competition, held between 1969 and 1985 and contested by Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.The 1981 event was open to athletes from all nations....
, as well as another national title and fifth place at the 1981 IAAF World Cup
1981 IAAF World Cup
The 3rd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 4–6, 1981, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.-Men:|width="50"| ...
.
Dolegiewicz had begun to covertly use and sell anabolic steroids over this period. In mid-1981 he sold 500 tablets of Dianabol to track coach Charlie Francis
Charlie Francis
Charles Merrick "Charlie" Francis was a sprint coach most noteworthy for being the trainer of sprinter Ben Johnson, the first competitor to be stripped of an Olympic gold medal for using banned drugs, and sprinters Angella Issajenko, Mark McKoy, and Desai Williams...
, marking the beginning of sprinter Ben Johnson's drug use. The 1982 season saw him win his last national title in the shot put, but he also managed to win his first international medal in the discus that year, taking the bronze at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
At the 1982 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events took place at the QE II Stadium in Brisbane, Australia from 3–9 October 1982. A total of 39 events were contested, 23 for men and 16 for women athletes.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:Key:...
behind Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper (athlete)
Bradley "Brad" Cooper is a retired male discus thrower and shot putter from the Bahamas. He competed for his native country in two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984. Cooper set his personal best, , in the discus event on June 14, 1986 in Nassau.-References:* * *...
of the Bahamas and Rob Gray (Canada's number one in the event). The inaugural World Championships in Athletics
1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....
was held in 1983 and Dolegiewicz was in attendance for Canada. However, neither he nor his compatriot Bruno Pauletto progressed past the qualification stage. Dolegiewicz also saw the opportunity to sell Dianabol at the international competition, and he brought along several hundred tablets of the drug on the trip to Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. He also began supplying Mike Spiritosa, another Canadian thrower, with drugs over the period.
He gave his best Olympic performance at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
, where he ranked eleventh in the shot put final of the competition. This was Canada's best ranking in the men's Olympic shot put until 2008. Dolegiewicz retired from the sport in 1985, feeling that it was inundated with drug users. With active competition behind him, he became a coach and took up a position at the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
, later moving to Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University, or SUU, is located in Cedar City, Utah. It was founded in 1897 as an extension of the Agricultural College of Utah, by the citizens of Cedar City.During its history, the school has been known as:...
.
Role in Dubin Inquiry
The failed drug test of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson at the 1988 Seoul Olympics1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
sparked a national outcry and an investigation was launched into drug use within the sport – the Dubin Inquiry. Dolegiewicz testified as part of the governmental review. He admitted to distributing drugs and also his own personal usage, which spanned over a decade. Speaking before the commission, he estimated that half of the throwers at college level used steroids and said that among his peers on the global stage he "would be hard-pressed to find the name of an individual who hasn't used steroids".
His revelations cost him both his coaching role at the University of Saskatchewan and his Canadian shot put record. Among his statements, he also said that he looked upon his past steroid use with regret, noting that he had suffered mentally and physically as a direct result. While still working as a coach, he had used these experiences in order to warn the next generation of athletes of the dangers of drug use: "I give people the examples of individuals that I have known that have gotten sick from the use of steroids and I try to come across and give the kids the message, 'Look, you're going to pay the price at some point in time.
He began to have circulatory and heart problems and on October 29, 2008, he died in his sleep at the age of 55. He was survived by his wife Anna Dolegiewicz – a former student of his – as well as his parents and a brother.