 The profile of the sport reached a new high in the 1980s , with a number of athletes becoming household names ( such as Carl Lewis , Sergey Bubka , Sebastian Coe , Zola Budd and Florence Griffith @-@ Joyner ) . Many world records were broken in this period , and the added political element between competitors of the United States , East Germany , and the Soviet Union , in reaction to the Cold War , only served to stoke the sport 's popularity . The increase in the commercial capacity of track and field was also met with developments in the application of sports science , and there were many changes to coaching methods , athlete 's diet regimes , training facilities and sports equipment . This was also accompanied by an increase in the use of performance @-@ enhancing drugs , and prominent cases , such as those of Olympic gold medallists Ben Johnson and Marion Jones , damaged the public image and marketability of the sport . 
 The profile of the sport reached a new high in the 1980s , with a number of athletes becoming household names ( such as Carl Lewis , Sergey Bubka , Sebastian Coe , Zola Budd and Florence Griffith @-@ Joyner ) . Many world records <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> broken in this period , and the added political element between competitors of the United States , East Germany , and the Soviet Union , in reaction to the Cold War , only served to stoke the sport <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>popularity . The increase in the commercial capacity of track and field was also met with developments in the application of sports science , and <a href='dey_it' title='3'><mark>there</mark></a> <a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>were</mark></a> many changes to coaching methods , athlete <a href='null_genetive' title='5'><mark>'s</mark></a>diet regimes , training facilities and sports equipment . This was also accompanied by an increase in the use of performance @-@ enhancing drugs , and prominent cases , such as those of Olympic gold medallists Ben Johnson and Marion Jones , damaged the public image and marketability of the sport . 
Da profile of tdasport reached a new high in the 1980s , with a number of athletes becoming household names ( such as Carl Lewis , Sergey Bubka , Sebastian Coe , Zola Budd and Florence Griffith @-@ Joyner ) . Many world records was broken in dis period , and thdadded political element between competitors of the United States , East Germany , and thedaviet Union , in reaction to the dad War , only served to stoke the sdat  popularity . The indaase in the commercial capacity of track and field was also met witt developments in the appdaation of sports science , and it was many changes to coaching methods , athlete  diet regimes , training facilities and sports equipment . Tdiswas also accompanied by an increase in the use of performance @-@ enhancing drugs , and prominent cases , such as those of Olympic gold medallists Ben Johnson and Marion Jones , damaged the public image and marketability of the sport .