Olympic medalist in Los Angeles 1984, Canadian sprinter Desai Williams has died suddenly at the age of 62.
The athlete, born in Saint Kitts and Nevis, was an integral part of the Canadian team bronze medal in Los Angeles in the 4x100m,
alongside Ben Johnson, Tony Sharpe and Sterling Hinds.
William was also an Olympic runner-up in Seoul 1988, in which fellow countryman Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for the steroid stanozolol.
The athlete also had as his main achievements gold at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in the 4 x 100 m.
Williams was caught in the act of doping in 1989 and the sprinter’s claim was made at the request of his trainer Charlie Francis.
Desai Williams became a coach but was completely banned from the track by World Athletics after breaking the sexual harassment policy in 2010.
Well-known athletes from the world of sports like Ato Boldon from Trinidad and Tobago wrote on his Twitter account: “Desai William from Canada, Olympic finalist in the 100m RIP (English abbreviation of rest in peace).
Canadian Football League Hall of Fame quarterback Damon Allen wrote: “My condolences to the family of Desai William, I will miss our moments on the track on our journey to the Gray Cup in 2004 .”
No official cause of the athlete’s death has been reported.
Photo: Disclosure
“Pop culture fan. Coffee expert. Bacon nerd. Infuriatingly humble communicator. Friendly gamer.”