US Olympic Legend Michael Johnson

That's right. Perhaps my favorite Olympic athlete of all time. The man with the golden shoes. I was 9 when he busted out those gold shoes. Imagine me watching these Olympics seeing the man with golden shoes run for the gold medal for team USA. I think that is one of the main reasons that gold is my favorite color today.

What would Johnson do with those gold shoes? Oh, nothing much, just become the fastest man alive.

Johnson's Olympic journey began in 1992 in Spain. During those Olympics I was 5 years old. Johnson was the favorite to win gold in the 200 and 400 during those Olympics. However, something happened that would prevent that. He would contract food poisoning and lose a great deal of weight and strength less than 2 weeks prior to the event while dining in Spain. He finished 6th in the 200m semifinal because of the lost weight and strength. Johnson though would have his shining moment in these Olympics. He still competed at a high level for the 4x400 team. Such a high level that he came away with the gold! Oh, that 4x400 team also set a world record.

After, '92 came the Michael Johnson Olympics in Atlanta. They weren't actually called the Michael Johnson Olympics, but that is how I remember them. Of course the buzz around these Olympics were about the shoes. Every little kid I am sure was like me and wanted to root for the man with the Golden shoes. None of his fans were disappointed in the least. Johnson captured the 400m championship first. He set an Olympic record in the 400m while he did it. His time was 43.49 seconds, and he beat the silver medal winner by almost a full second. Michael Johnson would only go on to break the world record in the 200m final. He recorded a time of 19.32 which shattered the world record. Johnson broke the record by 3/10 of a second which is the largest improvement ever on a 200m record. Michael Johnson remains the only sprinter in history to win the 200m and the 400m at the same Olympics.

Michael Johnson actually faced Canadian superstar runner Donovan Bailey for the fastest man title shortly after the Olympics. In 1997 they had an unsanctioned 150m race to try to determine who it was. Johnson was the 200m champ and Bailey was the 100m champ. Unfortunately, Johnson was injured during that race so we may never know. However, I will say that Johnson's better race is the 400 so even if Bailey had won legit, I wouldn't have considered Bailey faster than Johnson.

Johnson still had one Olympics left in him. He competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. An injury kept him from defending his 200m title after failing to qualify at trials. However, he did qualify in the 400m. Not only did he qualify, but he won the whole thing. That gold medal, gave Johnson a total of 4. It also made him the oldest gold medalist in any track event shorter than the 5000m. He did it as a sprinter. Johnson actually won a 5th medal, but it would have to be returned and officially does not count.

The 5th gold medal was as part of the 4x400 relay team. That team had to return the gold medal due to Jerome Young using PEDs. However, Young was not on the final relay team, he was just racing in some of the heats. Team USA appealed the decision and the win was restored. Then it wasn't. Antonio Pettigrew used PEDs and he was on the team. Pettigrew returned his gold first and then Johnson did the same because it was won on false circumstances. The full team was Pettigrew, and Calvin and Alvin Harrison. The Harrison brothers are holding the flag behind the other two. Pettigrew would kill himself in 2010. That is one of the saddest stories in sports. It is just sad what PEDs due to people. Luckily, Michael Johnson was never linked to that nonsense and did everything legit.

At a later date, I will post an update on Johnson. For now just know that he is an Olympic Legend!

-Noland