Hero Profile: Lance Armstrong
Here is a profile of cyclist Lance Armstrong, with comments and my rating on the five characteristics of a sporting hero. You can also give your rating for Lance Armstrong using the same criteria.
| rating | ||
|---|---|---|
| skill | Lance performed well in his sport over a long period and finished first in the Tour de France a unprecedented seven times (between 1999-2005). To do so requires exceptional skill and physical attributes, but also a very strong team. Having been subsequently found to have taken banned doping substances during this period does not really diminish his performance, as during that time the majority of his competitors also did the same, and he was still clearly better than them. | 4 |
| character | He comes across as arrogant to many people. He had years of strong allegations of drug use, which he always denied (though not always convincingly). When finally the USADA caught up with him he was unconvincing in his denial and uncharacteristically decided not to fight the charges any more (as he would have lost). | 1 |
| family | He has not had a good record with relationships. His biological father moved out when he was a baby. When he was three years old, his mother remarried a man named Terry Armstrong. His mother has married and divorced three times. He was married to Kristin Richard, and they have three children. After Lance and Kristin divorced, Lance had a short engagement with singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow. His current relationship is with Anna Hansen, with whom he has a son born in June 2009. | 1.5 |
| charity work | In 1997, Armstrong founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which supports people affected by cancer. | 5 |
| popular culture | Despite dominating his chosen sport, cycling is not a mainstream sport in his home country, so has not reached the potential he would have if he played a major sport in the US. Making a successful comeback after beating cancer has aligned him with a big proportion of society. | 3 |
| hero rating | Despite allegations of drug taking, he is a hero to many cancer sufferers and others who have come back from adversity in their lives. | 58% |
Who else thinks Lance Armstrong is a Hero?
- My Hero is Lance Armstrong Why?: I know a lot of people don't agree but Lance said that he never used epo's during the TDF. Even so it took heart to ride those stages much less win 7 times. Jan Urich voted to let LA keep the titles & I agree. Conta~dork failed a drug test & was stripped & banned for.... 1 month before it was lifted? My thoughts are Lance is fighting Europe as a whole because he's American. Imho. Suggested by: John McKinney USA (July 2014)
- Lance Armstrong is Justin Metz's hero because on October 2, 1996, at age 25, Armstrong was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer. The cancer had spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. However, he did not give up. In his comeback was one he spent training in the very challenging Appalachian terrain. He then won the Tour de France a record-breaking seven consecutive years, from 1999 to 2005.
- Is Lance Armstrong your hero? Tell me why.
Related Pages
- Why don't you suggest your hero, and tell me why.
- Give your rating for Lance Armstrong using the same criteria.
- POLL: Is Lance Armstrong still a hero?
- Details about the 5 Criteria that makes a sporting hero
- Athlete Profile of Lance Armstrong, and other cyclist profiles
- Home of Heroes
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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