100m world record holder before Usain Bolt was once removed from the record books and kicked out of the Olympics

More than two decades before Usain Bolt set the 100m world record in 2009 that still stands to this day, another Jamaica-born star wrote his name into the history books.

Born in Falmouth, Jamaica, Ben Johnson moved to Canada when he was 14 years old and he represented his adoptive country on the global athletics stage.

One of the most talented sprinters of his generation, Johnson emerged in the 1980s as a rival to American superstar Carl Lewis in the 100m and 200m.

Lewis entered the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Lewis was one of the biggest stars in athletics, having taken gold in both of the individual sprint events in Los Angeles four years earlier, in addition to golds in the long jump and 4x100m relay.

Ben Johnson winning the 100m at the 1988 Olympics (Getty)

But Johnson shocked the world the previous year by not only beating Lewis in four of their five meetings over 100m but also smashing the world record for the event when he ran 8.83 seconds at the World Championships in Rome.

When the two men faced off again in the 100m final in Seoul, it was one of the most anticipated showdowns in recent Olympic history. And Johnson didn't disappoint, taking gold with a run that saw him eclipse his own record with a time of 9.79 seconds.

But soon after, Johnson failed a doping test for anabolic steroids. He would later admit to having used performance enhancing drugs since 1981.

His records was erased and he was stripped of his Olympic and World Championship medals.

While Johnson served a four-year ban, Lewis re-established himself as the sprint king. Having finished runner-up to Johnson in Seoul, he was retroactively awarded the gold medal. And at the World Championships in 1991, Lewis produced a career-best performance to take gold in the 100m in a world-record time of 9.86 seconds.

Johnson attempted to make a comeback and even represented Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. But he performed poorly, finishing last in his semi-final heat. The next year, he failed another drugs test and received a lifetime ban.