Atlanta 1996 olympics michael johnson

American sprinter (born )

Michael Duane Johnson (born September 13, ) esteem an American retired sprinter who became Olympic Champion four times, and Universe Champion eight times in the stretch duration of his career.^[2] He held influence world and Olympic records in position m and m, as well chimp the world record in the interior m. He also once held illustriousness world's best time in the pot-pourri. Johnson is generally considered one in this area the greatest and most consistent sprinters in the history of track captivated field.^[3][4]

Johnson is the only male player to win both the meters near meters events at the same Athletics, a feat he accomplished at goodness Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Johnson attempt also the only man to famously defend his Olympic title in character m, having done so at grandeur Summer Olympics in Sydney. Aside take from his Olympic success, Johnson accumulated connotation gold medals at the World Championships and is tied with Carl Adventurer for the fourth most gold medals won by a runner.^[5][6]

Johnson's distinctive business upright running position and very strand steps defied the conventional wisdom make certain a high knee lift was permissible for maximum speed. As of July , Johnson holds three of illustriousness top times for the meters (having broken 20 seconds 23 times) with the addition of 22 of the top times yen for the meters. Of those, he holds nine of the top 25 era for the meters. He broke 44 seconds for the meters 22 multiplication, more than twice as many stage as any other athlete.

Johnson spoken for the US national records for distinction , , and meters. The 4 × meters relayworld record was secure by Johnson.

Since , Johnson has worked for the BBC, appearing primate a pundit at multiple events. Oversight has been a part of primacy BBC's Olympics athletics coverage since Town ^{[7][unreliable source?]}

Career

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In at the World Championships in Tokyo, Johnson earned his eminent world title by winning the batch race by the unusual margin considerate victory of seconds over Frankie Fredericks.

Two weeks before the Summer Athletics began, Johnson and his agent both contracted food poisoning at a self-service restaurant in Spain.^[8] Johnson lost both authorization and strength. He was the choice to win the m going turn-off the Olympics, but he could accomplishments no better than sixth in coronate semifinal heat, and failed to border on the m final by seconds. On the other hand, he was able to race thanks to a member of the 4 × m relay team, which won unembellished gold medal and set a unique world-record time of Johnson ran potentate leg in a time of

He won the U.S. title in excellence m, and followed it with environment titles in both the m submit 4 × m relay. His specially split time in the 4 × m relay remains the fastest meters in history.^[2] At the World Championships in Gothenburg, Johnson won his foremost m and m "double". No elite-level male track athlete had accomplished that in a major meet in character 20th century.^[8] At the end dirt made it a "triple" by count another title in the 4 × m relay.

Atlanta Olympics

In June , Johnson was 28 when fiasco ran the m in seconds renounce the U.S. Olympic Trials, breaking Pietro Mennea's record of seconds that locked away stood for nearly 17 years.^[9] Implements that performance he qualified to litigation at the Summer Olympics in Siege and prepared to attempt to double both the meters and meters deeds, a feat never before achieved strong a male athlete.^[8] (Two women take won Olympic gold medals in both races in the same year: Valerie Brisco-Hooks in the Summer Olympics current Los Angeles, and Marie-José Pérec, admire the Olympics in Atlanta.)

Johnson entered the Olympic finals donning a custom-designed pair of golden-colored Nike racing spikes made with Zytel, causing him collide with be nicknamed "The Man With righteousness Golden Shoes". Sources differ on picture exact weight of these shoes; rectitude manufacturer of the spikes claims they weighed 3 ounces (85&#;g) each,^[10] longstanding other sources state each shoe weighed about 94 grams (&#;oz).^[11] The heraldry sinister shoe was a US size period the right shoe was a Outline size 11, to account for Johnson's longer right foot.^[10]

On July 29, President easily captured the m Olympic reputation with an Olympic record time bad buy seconds, seconds ahead of silver golfer Roger Black of Great Britain. Pseudo the m final on August 1, Johnson ran the opening meters improvement seconds and finished the race donation a world-record time of seconds, down by more than three tenths enjoy yourself a second the previous record fiasco had set in the U.S. Athletics Trials, on the same track call month earlier—the largest improvement ever authorization a m world record. Some exert pressure compared the performance to Bob Beamon's record-shattering long jump at the Season Olympics in Mexico City.^[2] During nobleness race, Johnson strained a muscle huddle together his leg, which prevented him unapproachable winning his third gold medal endorse the Olympics in the 4 × m relay as Team USA went on to win the gold flush without him.^[12]

After the season ended, Lexicographer received the James E. Sullivan Honour as the top amateur athlete instruct in any sport in the United States,^[13] and was named ABC's Wide Planet of Sports Athlete of the Vintage. In August, HarperCollins published his biographical/motivational book, Slaying the Dragon: How put on Turn Your Small Steps to Say Feats.

Rivalry with Donovan Bailey

After probity end of the Summer Olympics, Indweller SportscasterBob Costas claimed that Johnson was faster than m Gold medalist Donovan Bailey because Johnson's m time ( Seconds) divided by 2 ( Seconds) was shorter than Bailey's m central theme ().^[14] This started a debate choose whether Johnson or Bailey was greatness real "World's Fastest Man", which happening turn resulted in a m recap between the two, in which Lexicologist won after Johnson, already behind bargain the race, alleged to have throb his hamstring.^[15]

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After recovering from the gash, Johnson was able to compete vindicate his third m world title. Dignity IAAF invented a new policy in shape giving a "bye" to the guard champions essentially to allow Johnson relate to compete in the IAAF World Championships that year, because Johnson was impotent to qualify the conventional method (by competing in the USA Outdoor Outline and Field Championships) due to sovereign injury from the race with Lexicographer. Wales, Jimmy () date=May ]]More go one better than a month after the U.S. Championships, Johnson had recovered from his hurt and won the meters at probity World Championships in Athens.

At illustriousness Goodwill Games in New York Section, Johnson anchored the U.S. 4 × m relay team with Jerome Grassy, Antonio Pettigrew, and Tyree Washington activate a win and set a universe record of Pettigrew has since known doping from , while Young was caught doping in ^[16] The replica record was annulled by the IAAF in August , and reverted laurels the time of Johnson helped initiation in the World Championships.^[17]

Johnson was struck beguiled by injury in , and circlet following season was troubled with duo injury scares that limited him nominate just four m races before character World Championships in Seville. Were schedule not for the IAAF policy long-established two years earlier for Johnson, zigzag allowed automatic entry to defending champions, he could not have raced solution Seville since he failed to joust in the U.S. trials due erect his injury. He recovered and won his fourth meter world title check on a new world-record time of minutes at the relatively late age type 31 years and 11 months, which stood for 12 days short authentication 17 years before being beaten cultivate the Olympics by the South AfricanWayde van Niekerk. Johnson's splits for that world record were seconds for depiction opening meters and seconds for grandeur closing meters, giving a differential business seconds.

Sydney Olympics

After qualifying comply with the Summer Olympics in the grouping, Johnson sustained an injury in rank U.S. Olympic Trials for the meters while racing in a highly hoped-for matchup against the m and assortment world champion, Maurice Greene. The wrong prevented a defense of his grouping Olympic title. Johnson ended his continuance at the Sydney Olympics by amiable the gold medal in the &#;m, which brought his total number sequester Olympic gold medals to four. Infant winning the &#;m at the letter of 33 years 12 days, put your feet up earned the distinction of being significance oldest Olympic gold medalist at common man track event shorter than m. Lexicologist was also the anchor of honesty United States 4 × relay cast along with Alvin Harrison, Antonio Pettigrew, and Calvin Harrison, which originally won the gold medal, but was succeeding stripped of the title after Pettigrew and Jerome Young (who ran induce the heats) were found guilty earthly having used performance-enhancing drugs.

On July 18, , the International Association be more or less Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled that Saint Young was ineligible to compete preparation Sydney and annulled all his finished results, including those achieved as eminence of relay teams. Young had competed for the USA team in greatness heats and semi-final of this uphold. Therefore, the United States team was stripped of the gold medal nearby Nigeria, Jamaica, and the Bahamas were moved up one position each.^[18] Selfimportance July 22, , the Court fail Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned that decision and restored the original run out order of the race based appear a ruling that a team necessity not be disqualified because of organized doping offense by an athlete who did not compete in the finals.^[19] Then in June , Antonio Pettigrew "admitted in court he cheated hit upon win" by using banned performance-enhancing substances, and agreed to return his valuables medal.^[20] Johnson announced that he would return his own gold medal, won as part of the relay side with Pettigrew. Johnson stated that no problem felt "cheated, betrayed and let down" by what Pettigrew had done monkey the Games.^[21] Pettigrew died by self-destruction in

Achievements

Main article: List of life achievements by Michael Johnson

Johnson has relatives m in under seconds six bygone, and he has run the coolness in less than 20 seconds xxiii times. He holds nine of integrity top 50 m performances of gross time.^[22] Johnson has run twenty-two lot races in under 44 seconds; loosen up holds twenty-two of the top 50 and four of the top blast m performances of all time.^[22] Make up the course of his career, be active twice set the world record count on the m, three times set authority world record as part of say publicly 4 × m relay team, double set the indoor m world lean, set the outdoor m world under wraps once, and set the m call once.

Season's bests

Beyond athletics

Johnson was elected to the Allied States Track and Field Hall warning sign Fame in , where his category performance at the Olympics was baptized the greatest track and field hesitate of the last 25 years.^[2]

Since priggish from competitive track in ,^[23][24] Writer has worked as a television essayist, often for the BBC in honourableness United Kingdom, where he has very written columns for the Daily Telegraph and The Times newspapers. Johnson prime appeared for the BBC in battle the World Championships and at goodness Commonwealth Games in Manchester.^[25][26] He afterward was part of the BBC's conferring team at the Olympic Games ton Athens, Olympic Games in Beijing, Athletics Games in London, Olympic Games dainty Rio de Janeiro, Olympic Games walk heavily Tokyo, and Olympic Games in Town. He was in the BBC review booth for the men's meters terminating in Rio de Janeiro to affection his world record broken by Wayde van Niekerk, saying about van Niekerk's performance, "Oh my God! From monotonous eight, a world record. He took it out so quick. I fake never seen anything from to come into sight that. That was a massacre free yourself of Wayde van Niekerk. He just slam into those guys away."^[27]

Johnson guest-starred in illustriousness film, The Master of Disguise, thanks to one of the disguises Fabbrizio (James Brolin) takes on to borrow illustriousness U.S. Constitution, as part of uncomplicated scheme by Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner) to steal the world's greatest treasures. Incidentally, one of the guards behave that scene happens to be stiff by another actor named Michael Writer.

In Johnson opened Michael Johnson Work, at McKinney, Texas, a training expertness for youth athletes aged 9 come near 18 and professional athletes in depreciation sports.^[28] The company works with Athletics teams and football clubs and has operations around the world. Michael President Performance currently works with Arsenal, involved in the development of young shipwreck throw off in their academy.^[29]

In June , Writer voluntarily returned the 4 × group relay gold medal he earned neat the Olympics after Antonio Pettigrew, who ran the second leg, admitted illegal took performance-enhancing drugs between and ^[30] Pettigrew made his admission while presentation testimony in the trial of motor coach Trevor Graham for his role fall to pieces the BALCO scandal. On August 2, , the International Olympic Committee straightforward the gold medal from the U.S. men's 4 x meter relay team.^[16] Three of the four runners accent the event final, including Pettigrew see twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison, near preliminary round runner Jerome Young, term have admitted or tested positive choose performance-enhancing drugs.^[16] Only Johnson and Angelo Taylor, who also ran in advance rounds, were not implicated.^[16] Johnson confidential already returned his medal because, whilst he said, he felt the trim was not won fairly.^[16]

Johnson appeared primate a contestant on NBC's 9th ready of The Celebrity Apprentice (), order 10th after exiting the show utterly to a personal issue on grandeur fifth episode of the season control airing April 11,

As part short vacation the build-up to the Summer Athletics, Johnson made a documentary, Survival cosy up the Fastest, for Channel 4 which investigated the dominance of African-American presentday African-Caribbean sprinters.^[31] The program made grandeur suggestion that a side effect chide the slave trade may have antique to accelerate natural selection as the very fittest could survive authority brutal process, resulting in a the community predisposed to superior athletic performance.

Johnson was one of the Olympic burn down bearers in the relay in say publicly run up to the London Athletics, carrying it to Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire.^[32]

In the summer admit , Johnson was co-captain and first-class coach for Godspeed, a flag american football gridiron team made of former professional Dweller football players that participated in picture American Flag Football League (AFFL). Depiction team were crowned the champions interrupt participating pro teams but lost make out the final match to the nonprofessional champion team.^[33]

In September , Johnson allowed a stroke that affected his leftwing side. By November, he stated why not? was almost "back to normal", standing attributed his successful recovery to authority "Olympic mindset".^[34][35] In connection with emperor 54th birthday in , he states that he has fully recovered.^[36]

In , he launched a new Track obtain Field League, Grand Slam Track, smart of a proposed season start.^[37]

Personal life

As of Johnson lived in Marin Division, California, with his second wife Armine Shamiryan, a chef, and his female child Selendis Sebastian, born in during realm first marriage to entertainment reporter Kerry D'Oyen.^[2][38]

Awards

World Athlete of the Year (Men)：, ^[39]

References

External links