Michael Johnson has opened up about how the fastest man alive, Usain Bolt, silenced him by breaking his record.
American sprint legend Michael Johnson has revealed the humbling moment Usain Bolt went on to prove him wrong on rack and field.
Johnson, whose track exploits saw him break the 200m world record after clocking 19.32 seconds in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, once said he expected Bolt to break his record.
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However, Johnson, who is a four-time Olympic champion, said prior to the 2008 Olympics that he didn’t expect the Jamaican to break his 200m record that had stood for 12 years at the Games.
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Bolt, eager to announce his arrival at the grandest stage, defeated a stacked field as well as breaking Michael Johnson’s record by posting a time of 19.19 seconds in 200m.
Reminiscing about the incident, Johnson, an eight-time world champion, told talkSPORT. “He’s going to do it, he’s going to break the 200m world record there’s no doubt about it. It’s just not going to happen this year. I said anytime he’s on the track it’s possible, and then I said I didn’t think he would.”
Bolt was the overwhelming favorite for 200m following the absence of Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay. The 2005 World Champion Gatlin, who doubles up as the 2004 Olympic 100m champion, was serving a doping suspension while 2007 World Champion Tyson Gay had suffered a hamstring injury at the U.S. trials and did not make the team.
The event also saw two of the eight finalists from the 2004 Games return: gold medalist Shawn Crawford of the United States and sixth-place finisher Stéphane Buckland of Mauritius. Bolt had competed in 2004 but had struggled through injury and did not make the quarterfinals; in 2008, he was healthy and, by the time of the 200m, had already set a world record in the 100m in Beijing..
Bolt’s win in 2008 marked the beginning of the Jamaican dominance over both distances. He went on to win three consecutive titles in both categories before he opted to retire in 2017. Eight years since the 38-year-old retired, his records are still intact.
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