Lance Armstrong - Fall of a legend

Having a role model in one’s life is quintessential, be it in any discipline. Speaking of sports strictly, there was a time when my generation grew up admiring the likes of Sachin, Dravid, Viswanathan Anand, PT Usha and Dhanraj Pillay. A few others worshipped international legends like Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Michael Jordan, Brian Lara and several more to complete that elite list. During such an era brimming with legends of sports, there was this American cyclist from Texas, generating waves in a less popular sport, in terms of viewership. The sports pages on newspapers had abundant news on “mainstream” sports during that very period. However, if there was someone who brought cycling the attention it deserved to garner, it was Lance Armstrong.

The Tour de France was given a tremendous fillip because of the unprecedented record he held at the event! Winning the annual multiple stage French bicycle race seven times consecutively is no mean feat ! The adulation for him was all the more profound since he had fought the potentially fatal testicular cancer, which had spread to his brain and lungs. The world certainly heaved a sigh of relief when he was declared cancer free, and automatically, human nature was on display for the years to come, showering him with respect and praise for overcoming the scourge of the disease. And quite rightly too, specially because he continued pursuing his passion and went on to create history after this traumatic experience. The more than famous ‘Livestrong’ wristbands, which were trending in those years, bore testimony to the cancer survivors and established Armstrong as an iconic survivor.

Controversies are bound to border a celebrity’s life. Then, so be the case with Lance Armstrong. Despite being dogged by doping allegations right through his career, Armstrong was one person who vehemently denied all those accusations, in turn managing to gather the support of a vast majority of people, including me. Even when the USADA stripped him of all the medals he had acquired in his career, there was this hint of disbelief among the public, with a few even coming close to scenting some sort of sordid conspiracy.

Then came the shocker on January 17th, 2013. A confession from the man himself, which shattered and destroyed the hearts of his plethora of fans. A confession, which made it seem like the secret of the Holy Grail had been leaked. Almost incredulous! A fall from fame to shame in one TV interview! Covered from head to toe with guilt, Armstrong rang his own death knell, confessing to having used performance enhancement drugs and blood transfusions throughout the length of his career. The legendary status he had carved for himself came crumbling down with that one bit of disclosure!

As he was muttering the following words, “My mythic, perfect story, was one big lie,” there was this feeling of void and hollowness which enveloped many a fan of his. A feeling which is always going to be hard to digest!