Oprah Winfrey sat down on Monday with Lance Armstrong for one of the most highly anticipated interviews of her career. Part one of the two-part interview debuted Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on the OWN Network and was streamed live on Oprah.com.
Since the interview was filmed earlier this week, we already had an idea of what was coming. The ex-cyclist finally came clean about using performance-enhancing drugs during his athletic career that won him seven Tour de France titles. Here’s the live coverage of the event:
[10:30 p.m.] Tune in Tomorrow for Part Two
The first part of Lance Armstrong’s interview is over. Tune in tomorrow for the second and final part of the interview where Armstrong answers to his “Livestrong” bracelet supports and whether or not he did the interview as a way to get back into the sport.
[10:09 p.m.] Armstrong Called Betsy Andreu Crazy, but Never Called Her Fat
Betsy Andreu, wife of former professional cyclist, Frankie Andreu, spoke out against Armstrong and testified that she overheard Armstrong telling his doctors that he was using performance-enhance drugs. He denied. Andreu also accused him of calling her crazy and fat. Armstrong admitted to calling Andreu crazy, but he says he never called her fat.
[10:02 p.m.] He Sued People Even Though He Knew They Were Telling the Truth
Oprah address the fact that Armstrong sued many people, although he knew they were telling the truth and asked him what that was all about. He responded, “It’s a major flaw–it’s a guy who expected to get whatever he wanted and control every outcome.”
[9:58 p.m.] Armstrong Did Not Donate to the Union Cycliste Internationale as a Cover Up
[9:46 p.m.] He Didn’t Feel Like He Was Cheating
During his career, he looked up the definition of cheating: “to get an advantage over a rival or a foe.” Even after that, Armstrong said he never felt like that was him. Are you kidding me? You might as well put a picture of the ex-cyclist next to the definition in the dictionary. But now, Armstrong realizes that he will spend the rest of his live trying to earn back other people’s trust and apologizing to those who supported him and believed in him.
[9:40 p.m.] Armstrong Calls Himself an Arrogant Prick
When Oprah asked Armstrong what was the flaw that made him willing to risk it all, he responded that it was his ruthless desire to win. He described his personality back then as “defiant,” and as an “arrogant prick.”
[9:37 p.m.] Armstrong: “I Was a Bully”
[9:30 p.m.] He Wasn’t Afraid of Getting Caught
Armstrong was never afraid of getting caught during doping. He describes that in the old days of the sport, drug testing was done at the races, but now it was all “out of competition testing,” and even for most of his career there wasn’t even that. He would also show up to the races clean with the drugs passed through his system.
[9:15 p.m.] Lance Armstrong Doesn’t Believe He Could Have Won Without Doping
The interview, filmed at a downtown hotel in Austin, started off with Oprah asking Armstrong yes or no questions about the types of performance-enhancing drugs he used. He answered all yes–EPO, cortisone and blood dope transfusions. He also admitted that he doesn’t believe he could have won his Tour de France titles without doping.
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