Sports

Lance Armstrong to Oprah: He Cheated and He's a 'Flawed Character'

Although he already faced disgrace when he won Coronado's SuperFrog last fall, the former champion's fall became complete Thursday in the first part of his much-hyped Oprah interview.

Lance Armstrong's descent began just before his appearance in Coronado. It was complete Thursday as the first part of his exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on her OWN network.

By the time the former Tour de France champion competed in Coronado at September's , he had been pursued for years both by anti-doping officials and federal investigators. 

In the weeks before the race along the Silver Strand, he had given up the fight to avoid being stripped of his Tour de France titles and faced a lifetime ban from sanctioned sporting events.

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Afterward, with the release of a detailed and damning U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report, he was pushed out of his prominent and successful Livestrong charity and in the latest loss, forced to give up his 2000 Olympic bronze medal.

He entered a new stage of his public life Thursday, shedding the defiance that had marked much of his public talk about doping.

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The Associated Press compiled a list of Armstrong's quotes from the first part of Winfrey's interview: (The conclusion will air at 9 p.m. Friday on OWN). 

  • On his performance-enhancing drug use: “Yes.” (his simple reply to a series of five questions that Winfrey opened up the interview with, on whether he used different banned substances, from EPO to testosterone.
  • On declining to point the finger at other cheaters, as several of his former teammates did at him: “I'm not comfortable talking about other people. I don't want to accuse anybody.”
  • On the causes and consequences of his aggressive nature: “It's a major flaw, and it's a guy who expected to get whatever he wanted and to control every outcome. And it's inexcusable. And when I say there are people who will hear this and never forgive me, I understand that. I do.” 
  • On taking responsibility: “I deserve this,” he said of the scorn he's facing.

Armstrong answered most questions head on and showed little emotion during the 90-minute interview, in which Winfrey showed several videos of the bold athlete – even under oath – denying that he had ever used PED's.

She also drew him out on the issue of his treatment of critics, eliciting Armstrong's confession that he was a bully when it came to those who challenged or disagreed with him.

For more about reaction to Armstrong's admissions to Oprah, including those of the doping regulators who pursued him, see the Associated Press.

In addition, KGTV spoke to former Navy SEAL Mitch Hall, who was enthused about Armstrong's participation in the SuperFrog triathlon. Hall trained with Armstrong recently in Hawaii and offered Channel 10 his thoughts on the former champion's confessions.

What are your thoughts on what Lance Armstrong told Oprah? Is there anything he can say to redeem himself? Tell us in the comments.


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