Michael Johnson (sprinter)
American sprinter, four-time Olympic champion, eight-time world champion.
Michael Duane Johnson, born September 13, 1967, is an American sprinter who won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championship titles over his career. His best 400-meter time of 43.18 seconds remains the American record and ranks second fastest ever. He once held world and Olympic records in both the 200 and 400 meters, plus the indoor 400-meter world record, and also had the world’s fastest 300-meter time. Johnson is widely regarded as one of the sport’s all-time greats, known for his consistency.
He is the only male athlete to win both the 200 and 400 meters at a single Olympics, doing so in Atlanta in 1996. He is also the only man to repeat as Olympic champion in the 400 meters, achieving that in Sydney in 2000. Beyond the Olympics, he earned eight World Championship golds, tying Carl Lewis for the fourth most gold medals by a runner.
Johnson’s running style was distinctive: an upright posture with very short steps, defying the belief that high knee lift was essential for speed. As of July 2024, he holds three of the top 100 times in the 200 meters (breaking 20 seconds 23 times) and 22 of the top 100 in the 400 meters, including nine of the top 25. He broke 44 seconds in the 400 meters 22 times—more than double any other athlete.
He held U.S. national records in the 200, 300, and 400 meters. He anchored the 4 × 400-meter relay world record. Since 2001, Johnson has worked as a pundit for the BBC, covering Olympics athletics from Athens 2004 onward.
**Career**
**1991–1995** At the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, Johnson won his first world title in the 200 meters by an unusually large margin of 0.33 seconds over Frankie Fredericks. Two weeks before the 1992 Olympics, he and his agent got food poisoning in Spain, causing him to lose weight and strength. Favored in the 200 meters, he finished sixth in his semifinal, missing the final by 0.16 seconds. He still ran on the 4 × 400-meter relay team, which won gold and set a world record of 2:55.74; Johnson’s split was 44.73 seconds. In 1993, he won the U.S. 400-meter title and then world titles in the 400 meters and 4 × 400-meter relay. His 42.94-second split in that relay remains the fastest relay split in history, though it is not an official 400-meter race time (the actual world record for the 400 meters is 43.03 seconds by Wayde van Niekerk). At the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, he
- born
- September 13, 1967
- field
- Sprinting (200 m, 400 m, 4 × 400 m relay)
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Only male to win 200 m and 400 m at same Olympics; world records in 200 m and 400 m; distinctive upright running style
Quick Facts
- Full Name
- Michael Duane Johnson
- Birth Date
- mf=yes · 1967 · 9 · 13
- Birth Place
- Dallas, Texas, U.S.
- Height
- 6 ft 1 in
- Weight
- 175 lb
- Sport
- Track and field
- Event
- Sprints
- College Team
- Baylor
- Personal Best
- 100 m: 10.09 (Knoxville 1994) / 200 m: 19.32 (Atlanta 1996) / 300 m: 30.85 NB (Pretoria 2000) / 400 m: 43.18 AR NR (Sevilla 1999)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Johnson's career began with his first world title in 1991 at the World Championships in Tokyo, winning the 200 m by 0.33 seconds. At the 1992 Summer Olympics, he suffered food poisoning two weeks before the Games, failed to reach the 200 m final, but won gold in the 4 × 400 m relay with a world-record time. He won the 1993 U.S. title in the 400 m and followed with world titles in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay, running a 42.94 second split—the fastest relay split in history, though not an official 400-meter race time (the actual world record for the 400 meters is 43.03 seconds by Wayde van Niekerk). At the 1995 World Championships, he became the first elite male athlete in the 20th century to win both the 200 m and 400 m at a major meet, adding a third title in the 4 × 400 m relay.
At the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, Johnson ran the 200 m in 19.66 seconds, breaking Pietro Mennea's record. At the Atlanta Olympics, he won the
Reader's Guide
Michael Johnson's significance lies in his unprecedented double at the 1996 Olympics—winning both the 200 m and 400 m—a feat no male athlete had achieved before. His world record of 19.32 seconds in the 200 m was a landmark performance, compared to Bob Beamon's long jump. Johnson's 400 m world record of 43.18 seconds stood for nearly 17 years. He is the only man to successfully defend an Olympic 400 m title. His distinctive upright running style and short steps challenged conventional sprinting technique. Johnson holds three of the top 100 times for the 200 m and 22 of the top 100 times for the 400 m, including nine of the top 25. He broke 44 seconds for the 400 m 22 times, more than twice as many as any other athlete. His legacy includes eight World Championship gold medals, tying Carl Lewis for fourth most by a runner. Since 2001, he has worked as a BBC pundit, covering Olympics athletics since Athens 2004.
Did You Know?
- Johnson is the only male athlete to win both the 200 meters and 400 meters at the same Olympics, doing so in 1996.
- He held the world record in the 200 m (19.32 s) and 400 m (43.18 s), as well as the indoor 400 m world record.
- His 42.94 second split in the 4 × 400 m relay remains the fastest 400 meters in history.
- Johnson wore custom golden spikes at the 1996 Olympics; his left shoe was size 10.5 and right shoe size 11.
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