Michael Johnson

See also: Johnson

Michael Duane Johnson (born the September 13rd 1967 with Dallas) is a American athlete . He is, with five Olympic titles and nine world titles like holder of the world records on 200 m (19" 32) and 400 m (43" 18), regarded as one of the largest sprinters of all times. He is called the Locomotive of Waco because of his very particular style of race which almost did not make move its chest.

In its discipline of predilection, the 400 m, it gained the four Championnats of the world between 1993 and 1999 like two Olympic titles (1996 with Atlanta and 2000 with Sydney).

Sporting career (1986-2000)

Beginnings - the decisive meeting with Clyde Binder (1986-1989)

Michael Johnson was born with Dallas with the Texas and attended the Skyline High School before her entry with the Université of Baylor. Its first trainer made him already the reproach not raise the knees rather high, which was at the time the technique standardized to run quickly.

In 1986, Johnson finishes 2ère on 200 m in Texas state High Scholl meet of Derrick Florence. It establishes its best performance at this distance in 21" 30.

The following year, Johnson between with the University of Baylor, where Clyde Binder the reference mark, as of its first competition, when it beats the record of the university, on 200 m in 20" 41. This year, Michael Johnson also makes these first weapons on 400 m, where it establishes a first personal record in 46" 29. It also takes part in its first university Championnats (NCAA) where it finishes 4 on the relay 4x400 m with the NCAA Indoor (3 relays) and 3 on the relay 4x400 m with the NCAA outdoor (3 relays also).

In 1988, Johnson finishes 7 on 400 m at the time of the series of the American Olympic Sélections . With the NCAA indoor, it is disqualified on 200 m but short a last relay in 43" 5 on the relay 4x400 Mr. With the championships outdoor, it does not finish the 200 m, victim of a fracture of tiredness of the Péroné during the race. It approaches the bar of the 20" 0 and establish this year of new personal records on 200 m in 20" 07 and out of 400 m in 45" 23. It is classified 7 on 200 m at the American level by the magazine Track & Field News .

The year 1989 marks for Johnson, a light withdrawal in terms of performances due to its wound of the previous year. It finishes nevertheless 2 with the Championships of the indoor United States on 400 m and gains the title with the NCAA indoor on 200 m in 20" 59. It runs also the last relay of the relay 4x400 m in 43" 8. It on the other hand is disappointed by its national performances in indoor. It indeed respectively finishes 5 and 6 of the series of the 200 m with the NCAA outdoor and the Championships of the outdoor United States. These best performances this season are of 20" 47 on 200 m and 46" 49 on 400 m.

First dedications - the disappointment of 1992 (1990-1992)

In 1990, Johnson obtains her diploma of end of studies in Comptabilité with the Université of Baylor. It at the time is already coatché by Hart and although it already gained several medals with NCAA outdoor and indoor, it is disappointed not still not to be devoted to the levels national and world. It is however this year that the career of Johnson starts with a step ahead. It indeed gains the national titles indoor on 400 m in 47" 43 and outdoor out of 200 m in 19" 90. It also gains for the second consecutive year title NCAA indoor on 200 m in 20" 72 and gains finally the title over 200 m with the NCAA outdoor in 20" 31. It also hangs to its prize list the titles NCAA of the two relays 4x400 m (outdoor and indoor). One of its first victims, is not other than the Olympic title champion of the 200 m, Joe DeLoach (beaten with Edinburgh). These times on 400 m also improve so that it establishes the 2 Meilleure world performance of the year at the distance in 44" 21 (just behind Danny Everett, better performor of the year in 44" 06). It finishes the year classified world number 1 out of 200 m and 400 m by the magazine Track & Field News .

Michael Johnson gains the following year the first of her 9 world titles at the time of the Championnats of the world of Tokyo, by gaining the 200 m in 20" 01, in front of that which will become its larger adversary at the distance, Namibian the Frankie Fredericks, 2ère in 20" 34, which constitutes the greatest difference between a first and a second (0" 33), Olympic Games and Championships of the world confused, since Jesse Owens in 1936. It gains also this year the national title on 400 m indoor in 46" 70 and out of 200 m outdoor in 20" 31. Like the previous year, it is classified number 1 on 200 m and 400 m by Track & Field News . He is the best performor at the two distances (19" 88 and 44" 17).

In 1992, Johnson descends for the first time under the 44 seconds out of 400 m (43" 98) at the time of the meeting of London. It brilliantly gains the American Olympic Sélections on 200 m in 19" 79 front Michael Marsh. With the Olympic Games, Johnson is regarded as the big favorite for the Olympic title on 200 m, but victim of an intoxication alimantaire contracted a few days before the Plays, it finishes 6 of the second semi-final (the first having been gained by Michael Marsh in 19" 73), which deprives it of its first individual Olympic title. It gains despite everything the Olympic title over 4x400 meters, haloed of new world records, in company of Quincy Watts, Andrew Valmon and Steve Lewis, thanks to a relay of 44" 0. It is classified number 3 on 200 m and number 5 on 400 m by Track & Field News .

Domination without division - the exploit of 1996 (1993-1996)

1993 are for Johnson the year of revenge after the disappointment of the Olympic Games, the previous year. It thus presents to the Championships the United States, with Eugene, selective for next the Championnats of the world, with great ambitions, in particular on 400 m where it has progressed regularly for a few years. It gains the national title by establishing a new personal record in 43" 74, relegating the Olympic title champion Quincy Watts far behind. With Stuttgart, two months later, it gains the first of its four world titles out of 400 m, in 43" 65, leaf Harry " Butch" Reynolds finally of the Championships of the world. A few days later, it will establish new world records on the relay 4x400 m into 2 ' 54" 29, while running the last relay in 42" 94, is the fastest relay of the history (on 400 m launched) and the only one under 43". It finishes the year classified number 4 on 200 m and number 1 on 400 m by Track & Field News .

The following year, Johnson concentrates on the idea to pass under 10" on 100 m. It finishes 8 of the American Championships at this distance because wounded. It will however succeed in establishing a personal record on 100 m in 10" 09 with Knoxville. It does not continue of it less its walk devastator on 200 m and 400 m, finishing the year world number 1 out of the two distances.

In 1995, he asks IAAF, the authorization to arrange the schedules of the 200 m and the 400 m in order to enable him to take part in his two tests at the time of the Championnats of the world of Gothenburg. During this time, Johnson continues her preparation and joins again with the competitions in room. It shows its state of form growing twice by beating by the world records of the 400 m (44" 97A with Reno then 44" 63 at the time of its national title with Atlanta) and consequently becoming occasion the first man to be run under 45" 00 in room. In June, learning the agreement favorable from the IAAF relating to its request for installation of the schedules of the 200 m and the 400 m to the Championships of the world, it are thus aligned on the two distances to the Championships of the the United States, with Sacramento, which it gains easily, respectively, in 19" 83w and 43" 66, gaining the six race (series and finales). He becomes at the same time, the first athlete of the history to gain with the same national championships the titles of the 200 m and the 400 m and the first to be run in less 20" on 200 m and less 44" on 400 m in the same meeting. At the beginning of August, with the Championships of the world of Gothenburg, it signs the first doubled 200/400 m of the history of the Athlétisme by carrying out 19" respectively; 79 on the 200 m and 43" 39 (currently 3 performance of all times) on the 400 m, Butch Reynolds finishing 2 in 44" 22 are 0" 83 behind him. It supplements its Scandinavian harvest by gaining the world tite relay 4x400 Mr. During these championships it succeeded in the feat of ingenuity to run 9 races in 9 days. It of course finishes the year, classified number 1 on 200 m and 400 m by Track & Field News .

In 1996, copying her preparation on that which had brought it to its doubled world, the previous year, Johnson identically gains the national title over 400 m in room while passing once again under 45" but failing of little vis-a-vis its own world records (44" 66). Decided well to erase the world records of the 200 m (19" 72), held for 17 years by Italian Pietro Mennea, Johnson has more specifically concentrated on the 200 m. He wants indeed to erase good once for all his disappointment of 1992. In June, it thus arrives with full with ambitions to the American Olympic Sélections which are held on the very new Olympic track of Atlanta, that one even where will take place the Olympic Games one month and half later. This track is already famous very fast, as Johnson already could realize, one month it before by gaining the 200 m meeting of Atlanta in 19" 83. Finally 200 m, it beats finally the world records of the 200 m, in 19" 66, on which Carl Lewis and Michael Marsh had failed of little. On 400 m, extremely of more than 50 victories at the distance since 1992, it are almost untouchable, and gain the race in 43" 44 front Butch Reynolds (2 in 43" 91). Little before the Olympic Games, Johnson however records her first defeat on 200 m since July 6th, 1994, when it is beaten by Frankie Fredericks with Oslo, for only 3 hundredths.

At the end of July, with the Olympic Games of Atlanta, it is nevertheless the big favorite at the two distances and can become the first runner to carry out doubled the 200 m/400 m at the time of the same Olympiad. July 29th, it first of all gains the Olympic title over 400 m in 43" 49 with almost a second in advance (0" 98) on the British Roger Black, 2 in 44" 41. He beats the Olympic record in addition (43" 50) established four earlier by Quincy Watts with the Olympic Games of Barcelona. Three days later, at the time of the finale 200 m, it carry out a race of anthology by pulverizing of more than 3 tenth clean sound world records in 19" 32. The second of the race, Frankie Fredericks, finishes nearly 4 meters behind Johnson in 19" 68. This time brings back the average of the 100 m to 9" 66, largely in lower part of the record of 9" 84, beaten during these same Olympic Games by Canadian Donovan Bailey. Chronometric measurements even showed that he had traversed his second 100 m in 9" 20, time that one imagined impossible for an human being. Johnson declared after her record: “ I thought that 19" 5 or 19" 4 were possible, but 19" 3, it is incredible. ” This record was still not beaten since. The athlete who is most approximate is American Tyson Gay with Indianapolis, on June 24th, 2007 with a time of 19" 62. The variation of 30 hundredths represents about 3 meters on a 200 m. Johnson leaves the Olympic Games then, acclaimed as being “ the fastest man of the world ”, thus stealing the high-speed motorboat with Donovan Bailey, the very new Olympic champion of the 100 m.

A few months after this exploit, Michel Jazy, money medal-holder on 1.500 m with the Olympic Games of summer of 1960 with Rome, declared with the newspaper the Team : “ Whereas all the others found its 19" 32 fantastic, I was sad and I could not applaud. For me Johnson was not a normal being. ” With the end of the year, Johnson receives the James E. Sullivan Award, crowning the best athlete amateur of the year and does the one of Time Magazine .

The crushing argument (1997)

Johnson begins this season 1997 by gaining the 400 m meeting of Waco to the Texas in 43" 75. After a very large publicity campaign, in which Johnson takes part, declaring “ the fastest man of the world ”, it is decided to organize a meeting between Johnson and Donovan Bailey, in order to decide between the two men. The event is held at the beginning of June, in Toronto, with the Rogers Center (renamed since SkyDome), on a distance of 150 m (75 m of turn and 75 m of straight line). The winner of the race will empochera the amount of 1,5 million dollars. During the race, the two men are with equality to the exit of turn, where Johnson gives up on wound, leaving the free field to Bailey which gains the race easily. Johnson has, in the weeks which followed the race, have many difficulties of recovering this wound with the quadriceps. It thus misses, consequently, the championships of the the United States, prohibiting to him consequently to take part in next the Championnats of the world which will be held with Athens in August. IAAF, in the person of its president Firstly Nebiolo, nevertheless decides to invite it to the Championships because of the fact that he is world champion titrates some at three distances. This decision has since fact Jurisprudence and maintaining any world champion in title is described as office for next the Championnats of the world. Nevertheless, insufficiently restored her wound to run a 200 m, Johnson aligns only on the 400 m. August 5th, it gains with some difficulties its third world title in 44" 12, although having missed being made eliminate in quarterfinal.

The apogee on 400 meters (1998-2000)

In 1998, year without much world competition, it confirms its statute on 400 m by gaining the Goodwill Ranges in New York in 43" 76. This same day, it establishes with Jerome Young, Tyree Washington and Antonio Pettigrew, new world records of the relay 4x400 m into 2 ' 54" 20. Although beaten with Oslo (3 in 44" 58), it nevertheless establishes the Meilleure world performance of the year to Zurich in 43" 68. New wounds with the ishio enable him to run only two 200 m only this year.

The following year, Johnson is again wounded and to the American Sélections cannot contribute. It then accepts a new invitation on behalf of IAAF, to take part in the Championnats of the world of Seville. Like thanking the international federation, he announces a few days before the championships which he will beat the world records, property of Butch Reynolds since 11 years: “ My objective is to beat the world records of the 400 meters, and the championships of the world of Seville could be the best occasion. ” And Johnson of gloser: “ That made so much a long time that I did not have anything any more to prove, and there, I was to make conceal all these detractors. ” Indeed several observers of the time see the decline of Johnson who at soon 32 years, does not dominate her sport as much any more.

August 24th, at the time of the semi-final, Johnson leaves on very high bases and passes in 21" 0 to the 200 Mr. But wanting to reserve itself for the final, it are raised in the last straight line for finally cutting the line in 43" 95. Two days later, finally, he is opposed to his compatriot Jerome Young like with two nouveux come at the distance, the Mexican Alejandro Cárdenas and Brazilian the Sanderlei Claro Parrela. Making good match with its adversaries during the first left the race, it accelerates to the 200 m and overflows Jerome Young in the last turn, before being detached in the last straight line and cutting the line in 43" 18, thus establishing new world records, beating the preceding mark of 0" 11. Parrela finishes 2 in 44" 29, is 1" 11 behind Johnson. The second 200 m of Johnson (21" 96) is an obvious demonstration of its enormous capacity of finisher. Having gained 8 championships of the world, it erases definitively Carl Lewis shelves, two days later, by gaining the relay 4x400 m, which changes to nine the number of gold medals obtained at the time of the Championnats of the world.

For her last season of high level athlete, Johnson centers her preparation on the conquest of a last Olympic title on 400 m. It has also at the head the idea to improve its own world records and to become, consequently occasion, the first man to be run under the 43 seconds. It prepares its attempt at record while leaving to involve itself in South Africa, at the beginning of season. It connects there performances of very first plan first of all beating the old world records of Danny Everett on 300 m in 30" 85A against 31" 48 with its elder. It signs also excellent a 19" 71A on 200 m, as well as a 43" 9 on 400 m. Returned the the United States, all the observers wait, at the time of the Trials with Sacramento, a confrontation between Johnson and Maurice Greene the new world champion in title of the 200 m. Nevertheless both left in series on wound. Before that, Johnson had brilliantly qualified on 400 m in 43" 68.

At the end of September, with the Olympic Games of Sydney it becomes, at just 33 years, the first man to preserve an Olympic title on 400 m by gaining the Olympic final 43" 84. However, he does not manage to improve his world records at the distance, for lack of ideal conditions weather. He is satisfied just, not having any adversary with his measurement, to ensure the gold medal. A few days later, it gains a second Olympic title with the relay 4x400 m, eight years after the first, changing to five its total of Olympic gold medals.

In January 2001, by mutual agreement with her trainer Clyde Binder, Johnson announces that it will not take part in next the Championnats of the world of Edmonton and that it puts a final term at his career.

Reprocess and reconversion

Since April 2006, Michael Johnson is the manager of Jeremy Wariner, trained just like him by Clyde Hart. Wariner is designated as the successor of Johnson on 400 m and is already at just 23 years Olympic champion, and double champion of the world on 400 m.

Johnson is also one of the many godfathers of the assocation Laureus which promotes the sport throughout the world. It is also consulting for many television channels (the BBC in other) and newspapers throughout the world.

In August 2007, one could see it giving his support for the organization of the Championnats of the world of athletics of Osaka

Personality

Little appreciated at the beginning of its career for its lack charisma and communication near the journalists, Johnson marked before all her time by its constant research of the performance. Its first declarations, remained famous, marked the spirits by their lack of glare and one will remember still a long time: “ I run more quickly than the others, the remainder I of insane ” or of “ Désolé, the guy, I am not somebody of really enthralling. ”

With believing the images of them, one saw it crying only twice in public, although it would have crumbled in sobs during its elimination in semi-final of the Olympic Games of Barcelona. The first time, it was at the time of the podium of the Championnats of the world of Tokyo and the second during the handing-over of the medals of the 200 m with Atlanta, 5 years later.

At the end of its career, recurring wounds rendèrent it much more accessible and almost even sympathetic nerve and one remembers the avoit considering signing autographs with prolifically while saying, a half smile: “ Especially, known as nothing, they must take to me for Carl Lewis! ”

Style of race

Johnson was recognizable by her very personal way to run. Indeed, at the moment when the athletic models forced to raise very high the knees in order to obtain the best amplitude of tread, Johnson developed, as for him, a reduced tread, almost hedgehopping. This tread almost did not make move its chest, which remained right, slightly leaning backwards. The poor work of its arms, as for him, had been worth in Johnson her remier nickname: Duck . But, which it lost in elegance and technique, Johnson gained it in power so much is so that it made during its races on 200 m or 400 m much more treads than its adversaries, on average 1 tread moreover a second.

Thus, at the time of its world records of the 200 m, to Atlanta in 1996, Johnson ran with an incredible average of almost 5 treads a second, against 3,5 to 4 for Frankie Fredericks (2) or Ato Boldon (3). In 1999, when it beats the world records of the 400 m, it made, there still, 4 treads a second against 3 for the other competitors.

The fastest man of the world?

August 1st

Reports/ratios with the Doping

During all her career, Johnson let plane suspicion as for the use of doping products, because of her performances. Indeed, its regularity with such a performance level leaves to dreamer still today many athletes. Johnson ran during, one knows it now, the period when EPO, in particular, prevailed in the athletic mediums of high levels. The tests were, at the time, much less sophisticated than they are it today, which Johnson noticed already: “ I do not believe in the reliability of controls antidopage, the only things in which I believe are God and my parents. ”

Although one still has doubts about his performances, Johnson decided against doping in an interview given in 2006 to the Daily Telegraph following positive control to testosterone of Justin Gatlin. Johnson then condemned with firmness her intrigues as well as the control of Trevor Graham, the trainer of Gatlin, which tried to justify this new positive control: “ It is a new crooked blow and an old excuse. Graham had under its responsibility several athletes who were tested positive or were suspended. It should be suspended with life because of its implication in all these businesses. Unfortunately, there does not exist rule to face people like him, and until there is, we will have to continue to see athletes cheating and making badly with the sport. ” According to Jonson, Gatlin should also be suspended with life, unless it can quickly bring the proof that it did not have recourse with full knowledge of the facts to a prohibited product

Prize list

Olympic Games

Championships of the world

Championships of the the United States

Other titles

  • Elected world sportsman of the year in 1996 by the newspaper the Team
  • 3 times member elect of the Jesse Owens Award
  • Member elect in 1996 of the James E. Sullivan Award, which rewards the best athlete amateur

Statistics

Personal records

200 meters under the 20 seconds

Michael Johnson ran 23 200 m under the 20 seconds. It is only exceeded by Frankie Fredericks which ran 25 from there, of which one in room.

Here is the list.

400 meters under the 44 seconds

Michael Johnson ran 23 400 meters under 44 seconds. 22 were timed electrically and 1 manually.

Here is the list.

Sources

This article was written by using the furnished informations by USATF and IAAF.

See too

  • Evolution of the world records of the 200 meters
  • Better Evolution of the world records of the 400 meters
  • perfomance world of the Better year on 200 meters
  • perfomance world of the year on 400 meters

External bonds

  • Its world records (19" 32) in Atlanta
  • Official site

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