'76 Olympic shot put champ Beyer admits doping

BERLIN (AP) - Former Olympic shot put champion Udo Beyer has admitted doping, saying in a documentary that it was his personal decision and that, still, he won the gold medal in 1976 in Montreal because he was "the best'' and not because he doped.

Beyer competed for East Germany, which had a systematic doping program for its top athletes, many of whom have said they were not aware they were being given performance-enhancing substances.

Speaking in the film "The Lone Wolf'' shown at the Berlin Film Festival this week, Beyer said he knew what was happening.