Zbigniew "Bishop" Dolegiewicz (July 8, 1953 – October 29, 2008) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

professional

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete and coach who specialized in the shot put and the

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

. A tall and muscular athlete, he won

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n honours while at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

and was the 1975 World University champion in the shot put. A silver medal at the

1975 Pan American Games The 1975 Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games were held there. It was the third major sporting event held in the Mexican capital in se ...

was followed by his first Olympic appearance at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. He won a

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

bronze on home turf in 1978 and also set a Canadian record of 20.83 m in the shot put that year. He won a second Pan American medal in 1979 and began competing in the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decem ...

competition, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in 1980. He represented Canada at the first

World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...

in 1983, competing in the qualifying stage, and finished eleventh in the shot put final at the

1984 Olympic Games The 1984 Olympics may refer to: *The 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia *The 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an intern ...

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– the best finish by a Canadian at the time. He retired in 1985 and moved into coaching, training throwers at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

and

Southern Utah University Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...

. A steroid user during much of his career, Dolegiewicz testified at the

Dubin Inquiry The Dubin inquiry was a Canadian government Commission of Inquiry into the Use of Drugs and Banned Practices Intended to Increase Athletic Performance held in 1989 after the Ben Johnson doping scandal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The commission was ...

in 1989, revealing that he had taken and distributed

Dianabol Metandienone, also known as methandienone or methandrostenolone and sold under the brand name Dianabol (D-Bol) among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is still quite often used because of its affordability and ef ...

. He sold the drug to

Charlie Francis Charles Merrick Francis (October 13, 1948 – May 12, 2010) was a Canadian Olympic sprinter and sprint coach most noteworthy for being the trainer of sprinter Ben Johnson, the first competitor to be stripped of an Olympic gold medal for using ban ...

in 1981, who acquired it for his trainee

Ben Johnson Ben, Benjamin or Benny Johnson may refer to: In sports Association football * Ben Johnson (footballer, born 2000), English footballer * Ben Johnson (soccer) (born 1977), American soccer player Other codes of football *Ben Johnson (Australian foot ...

(the athlete whose failed test sparked the inquiry). Dolegiewicz also stated that he believed steroid use was so widespread in the throwing events that he could not name an individual who had not taken the drug. The comments to the governmental commission resulted in the loss of his Canadian shot record and his dismissal from his post at the University of Saskatchewan. He died in 2008 at the age of 55.

Career

College and early years

Originally from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, he began studying at the

in 1972 and ranked sixth in the shot put at the

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for athletes from institutions that make up ...

the next year.Janofsky, Michael (1989-06-27)
Canadian Shot-Putter Tells of Steroid Role
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. Retrieved on 2010-09-14. Muscular in build and standing at six foot six inches tall (1.98 m),Starkman, Randy (2008-10-31)
Shot putter admitted his steroid use
''The Star''. Retrieved 2010-09-14. he improved to fourth place at the following year's competition. During his time competing for the college's

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

athletic team he earned

n honours three times: outdoors in 1973–1974, and indoors in 1974. He began competing internationally in 1975 and won a gold medal at the

1975 World University Championships in Athletics With all other disciplines having been cancelled, the 1975 Summer Universiade only featured athletics events and was referred to as the World University Championships in athletics. The competition was held in Rome between 18 and 21 September. Meda ...

before gaining a silver medal at the Pan American Games.Pan American Games
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-14. In addition to this, he took national level honours with a win in the discus at the Canadian Athletics Championships.
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-14.

Olympics and World Strongman

After winning the event at the 1976 French Athletics Championships, he was selected in the discus for the Canadian Olympic team for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. However, he fouled three times and ended his first major competition without a mark to his name. He won back-to-back national shot put titles in 1976–1977, but a year later he finished behind fellow Canadian Bruno Pauletto at both the Canadian championships and the 1978 Commonwealth Games in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, where Dolegiewicz took the bronze medal with a throw of 18.45 m.Commonwealth Games Medalists - Athletics - Men
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-14. That year he achieved his personal best throw in the shot, tossing the metal ball a distance of 20.83 m – a Canadian record. Between 1976 and 1983, only he and Pauletto won the honour, with the pair dominating the Canadian national scene. Dolegiewicz regained his national shot put title in 1979 with a championship record throw of 20.23 m and finished ahead of Pauletto to take the silver medal at the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

. He also represented the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

team at the

1979 IAAF World Cup The 2nd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on August 24–26, 1979, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Canad ...

, where he finished in fifth place. In the next season he did not take part in the 1980 Summer Olympics, but instead competed at the

1980 World's Strongest Man The 1980 World's Strongest Man was the fourth edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Bill Kazmaier from the United States. It was his first title after finishing third the previous year. Lars Hedlund from Sweden finished second after fini ...

competition. He gained 56 points in the strength events and finished in fourth, one place behind fellow thrower-cum-

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. Thes ...

Geoff Capes. He returned at the 1981 World's Strongest Man, but managed only tenth place on that occasion. On the

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

circuit that year he won a silver at the

1981 Pacific Conference Games The 1981 Pacific Conference Games was the fourth edition of the international athletics competition between five Pacific coast nations: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. This was the first occasion that athletes from beyo ...

, as well as another national title and fifth place at the

1981 IAAF World Cup The 3rd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 4–6, 1981, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. Overall results M ...

. Dolegiewicz had begun to covertly use and sell anabolic steroids over this period. In mid-1981 he sold 500 tablets of

to track coach

, marking the beginning of sprinter

's drug use. The 1982 season saw him win his last national title in the shot put, but he also managed to win his first international medal in the discus that year, taking the bronze at the 1982 Commonwealth Games behind

Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards, in addition to nominations for nine Academy Awards, si ...

of the Bahamas and Rob Gray (Canada's number one in the event). The inaugural World Championships in Athletics was held in 1983 and Dolegiewicz was in attendance for Canada. However, neither he nor his compatriot Bruno Pauletto progressed past the qualification stage. Dolegiewicz also saw the opportunity to sell Dianabol at the international competition, and he brought along several hundred tablets of the drug on the trip to

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

. He also began supplying Mike Spiritosa, another Canadian thrower, with drugs over the period. He gave his best Olympic performance at the

1984 Los Angeles Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

, where he ranked eleventh in the shot put final of the competition. This was Canada's best ranking in the men's Olympic shot put until 2008. Dolegiewicz retired from the sport in 1985, feeling that it was inundated with drug users. With active competition behind him, he became a coach and took up a position at the

, later moving to

. Around this period he married a fellow throws athlete, Gale Zaphiropoulos who competed internationally for the United States, but the two later were divorced.

Role in Dubin Inquiry

The failed drug test of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson at the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

sparked a national outcry and an investigation was launched into drug use within the sport – the

. Dolegiewicz testified as part of the governmental review. He admitted to distributing drugs and also his own personal usage, which spanned over a decade. Speaking before the commission, he estimated that half of the throwers at college level used steroids and said that among his peers on the global stage he "would be hard-pressed to find the name of an individual who hasn't used steroids". His revelations cost him both his coaching role at the University of Saskatchewan and his Canadian shot put record. Among his statements, he also said that he looked upon his past steroid use with regret, noting that he had suffered mentally and physically as a direct result. While still working as a coach, he had used these experiences in order to warn the next generation of athletes of the dangers of drug use: "I give people the examples of individuals that I have known that have gotten sick from the use of steroids and I try to come across and give the kids the message, 'Look, you're going to pay the price at some point in time. He began to have circulatory and heart problems and on October 29, 2008, he died in his sleep at the age of 55. He was survived by his wife Anna Dolegiewicz – a former student of his – as well as his parents and a brother.In memorial - Zbigniew Bishop Dolegiewicz
. Team 75 Plus. Retrieved on 2010-09-14.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolegiewicz, Bishop 1957 births 2008 deaths Athletes from Toronto Canadian male discus throwers Canadian male shot putters Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Texas Longhorns men's track and field athletes Southern Utah University faculty Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan Canadian people of Polish descent Canadian strength athletes Canadian sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in athletics Ben Johnson doping case Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) World Athletics Championships athletes for Canada FISU World University Games gold medalists for Canada Olympic track and field athletes for Canada Medalists at the 1975 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games