Desai Williams
Encyclopedia
Desai Williams is a former sprinter
from Canada
, who won an Olympic
bronze medal
in 4 x 100 metres relay
in Los Angeles 1984
.
Competing at the two first World Championships, where he reached the semi-final
(1983 and 1987), he set his personal best 200 metres
time with 20.29 s in 1983 and his 100 metres
personal best time of 10.11 s from a 6th-place finish at the 1988 Olympic Games
in Seoul
, South Korea
..
Williams was a part of the doping
regime of George Astaphan
, the physician who infamously supplied Ben Johnson with stanazolol.
The doctor that supplied the sprint group (which included Ben Johnson, Desai Williams, Tony Sharpe, Angela Taylor, Kevin Tyler, Mark McKoy and others) was known as Jamie Astaphan, a physician from St. Kitts. Williams was never proven to be part of this doping ring as coach Charlie Francis was not aware of his, or Mark McKoy's alleged doping programs. Charlie was the one that coordinated the programs with Astaphan, and came up with drug protocols, as he himself was an admitted steroid user leading up to the 1972 Olympic games. He competed in the 4x100 m relay.
He now works as the speed coach for the Toronto Argonauts
and is one of the most respected sprint coaches in eastern Canada.
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
from Canada
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...
, who won an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
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...
in 4 x 100 metres relay
Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics
At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, 41 events in athletics were contested, 24 events by men and 17 by women. There were a total number of 1273 participating athletes from 124 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:...
in Los Angeles 1984
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...
.
Competing at the two first World Championships, where he reached the semi-final
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
(1983 and 1987), he set his personal best 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
time with 20.29 s in 1983 and his 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
personal best time of 10.11 s from a 6th-place finish at the 1988 Olympic Games
1988 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...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
..
Williams was a part of the doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
regime of George Astaphan
George Astaphan
George Mario "Jamie" Sahely Chehin Astaphan, M.D., B.Sc. was a physician who became infamous for giving steroids to the sprinter Ben Johnson.Dr. Astaphan was born on the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies...
, the physician who infamously supplied Ben Johnson with stanazolol.
The doctor that supplied the sprint group (which included Ben Johnson, Desai Williams, Tony Sharpe, Angela Taylor, Kevin Tyler, Mark McKoy and others) was known as Jamie Astaphan, a physician from St. Kitts. Williams was never proven to be part of this doping ring as coach Charlie Francis was not aware of his, or Mark McKoy's alleged doping programs. Charlie was the one that coordinated the programs with Astaphan, and came up with drug protocols, as he himself was an admitted steroid user leading up to the 1972 Olympic games. He competed in the 4x100 m relay.
He now works as the speed coach for the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
and is one of the most respected sprint coaches in eastern Canada.