By the year 2005, after winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was a household name. You could not go anywhere without seeing at least one person wearing the infamous yellow “LIVESTRONG” bracelet in support of the cancer foundation Armstrong created. Everyone thought Armstrong was a miracle story, coming back from a cancer diagnosis that left him with a 40% survival rate post-surgery; Lance Armstrong not only survived the story, but went on to continue racing and earning his Tour de France titles.
Everyone thought Lance would go far; that is until rumors started circulating of his use of performance enhancing drugs during his racing career. After years of defending himself and going through a federal investigation after the Anti-Doping Agency began a new search into doping charges that continued to resurface, Lance finally came clean about his past and his use of illegal substances. Not only did this confession tarnish the reputation of his cancer foundation, but it also put his family in the spotlight and caused himself to be stripped of his Tour de France titles and his many endorsement deals.
What so many people are wondering, now that the shock of his interview has worn off, is whether or not his confession truly means anything. Yes, he finally admitted to his illegal drug use to win races, but only after being stripped of his titles, investigated several times by federal agents, and casting a shadow over his Livestrong foundation. Is his confession just another attempt to bring himself back in the spotlight? Is Lance truly repentant of his actions? Will he ever be able to race again? These questions and more may never be answered, but Oprah Winfrey attempted to dig down to the heart of his confession in her Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) interview special with Lance. While he has come clean about his past involvement with performance enhancing drugs, America and the entire racing world still needs time to heal after a beloved athlete has left so many disappointed.
In one segment from his 2 &1/2 hour interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong answered “yes” or “no” to many questions that had been haunting the public for years.
Oprah: “Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performances?” Lance Armstrong: “Yes”
For more footage of Lance Armstrong’s exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, follow the link provided below.
http://www.oprah.com/own_tv/onc/lance-armstrong-one.html
Background information on Lance Armstrong provided by:
LanceArmstrong.com/bio
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/…
Photo Credit:
http://assets.nydailynews.com/…