'I've been told I should know my place; I didn't know what it was'

Linford Christie is 1 of Britain's most-decorated athletes, but his narration pinch athletics and nan property has not ever been easy.

With unprecedented entree and never-before-seen archive, a 90-minute movie for BBC One takes a heavy dive into nan erstwhile Olympic champion's analyzable legacy.

"I've been told galore times that I should cognize my place," Christie, 64, told BBC Sport successful a caller interview. "I didn't cognize what my spot was."

During a 17-year world career, Christie won more awesome title medals (23), external than immoderate different British antheral sprinter, and successful 1993 became nan first antheral 100m runner to simultaneously clasp nan Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth titles.

After retiring, he helped others to triumph Olympic medals - including Katharine Merry, who took 400m bronze astatine Sydney 2000, and Darren Campbell, who claimed metallic successful nan 200m astatine nan aforesaid Games.

Those successes came a twelvemonth aft Christie tested affirmative for anabolic steroid nandrolone and was banned for 2 years. He maintains his innocence.

Christie has besides been subjected to group favoritism and objectifying headlines astir his genitalia.

Over nan people of Kwabena Oppong's film, he confronts his past.

He ends nan movie connected a defiant note, quoting writer and activistic Maya Angelou by saying: "You whitethorn trod maine successful nan very dirt, but still for illustration particulate I rise."

Christie moved to nan UK from Jamaica aged 7 to subordinate his parents, who had emigrated to London arsenic portion of nan Windrush generation.

During nan film, he describes experiencing racism astatine schoolhouse and from members of nan public.

Christie besides specifications incidents during his master profession erstwhile he feels he was nan unfortunate of group discrimination.

After winning nan 100m European Championship successful 1986, for example, he recalls being reprimanded by a personnel of his ain squad for wrapping nan national jack astir himself connected nan podium.

He says he felt nan accusation was "it was not nan done point for a achromatic person".

Christie besides talks astir nan clip he was arrested while training for nan 1988 Olympics, erstwhile a constabulary serviceman wrongly accused him of driving a stolen car.

The car successful mobility was sponsored and had Christie's sanction connected nan side. He was paid damages aft nan charges were dropped., external

Despite nan experiences, Christie remains patriotic, saying: "I'm arsenic British arsenic nan Queen."

At nan World Championships successful 1991, Christie group a caller European grounds by clocking 9.92 seconds for nan 100m - but still vanished fourth.

A twelvemonth later, aged 32, he became nan oldest man to triumph nan Olympic 100m title.

The time aft his triumph successful Barcelona, overmuch property attraction focused connected his figure-hugging moving suit, pinch comments made astir his genitalia. The Sun newspaper coined nan building 'Linford's lunchbox'.

"It was nan time aft I won nan blue-riband event," Christie told BBC Sport. "It's not a point that I want to beryllium known for."

Christie says "the lunchbox point followed maine astir for years" and believes it meant immoderate women felt it was OK to attack him and "grab" his genitalia.

During nan film, he re-watches scenes from a 1995 section of ITV's Sport successful Question, during which he famously collapsed down while talking astir his curen by nan press. His children besides outcry arsenic they watch for nan first time.

Christie concisely came retired of status successful 1999 to title successful Dortmund, Germany, successful bid to settee a stake pinch nan athletes he was coaching.

He won nan title - astatine nan property of 38 - but afterwards tested affirmative for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.

UK Athletics recovered Christie not guilty, but that determination was overturned by nan International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), which banned nan erstwhile Olympic champion for 2 years.

Professor Ron Maughan was 1 of nan UK Athletics anti-doping panellists who worked connected Christie's case.

In nan film, he explains nan panel's domiciled was "to beryllium guilt beyond reasonable doubt".

Christie's sample was astir 100 times nan period level.

"You deliberation that's an atrocious lot," says Maughan, "but nan amounts are truthful small, they would person perfectly nary physiological effect, but they would trigger a doping test."

Nandrolone tin beryllium recovered successful definite supplements, and from 1998-2000 location were a spate of athletes returning affirmative tests.

Former European 200m champion Dougie Walker, and Britain's erstwhile number 1 400m hurdler Gary Cadogan also had two-year bans imposed aft nan IAAF overturned UK Athletics verdicts.

Referring to nan inconsistency betwixt UK Athletics and nan IAAF, Christie told BBC Sport "you person your governing bodies - you person to let them to make their decisions", adding: "UK Athletics exonerated me."

Christie was dropped from nan BBC's sum of Sydney 2000, external pursuing his ban, and mostly vanished from screens afterwards.

"For 2 years, I didn't gain a penny and spent virtually each my savings trying to beryllium my innocence," says Christie.

He told BBC Sport if he was recovered guiltless now, it would not make immoderate difference.

"At nan extremity of nan day, they can't springiness maine backmost what I've lost," he said. "They can't springiness maine backmost nan feelings I went through."