Michael Johnson

Michael Duane Johnson was born on September 13, 1967, in Dallas, Texas. He grew up in Dallas and attended Baylor University, where he competed in track and field and developed under coach Clyde Hart, a partnership that would continue throughout his professional career.

Johnson turned professional and quickly established himself as one of the leading 200-meter and 400-meter runners in the world during the late 1980s and early 1990s. A stomach illness during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics prevented him from competing in the 200 meters individually, though he won a gold medal as part of the US 4x400 relay team.

At the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, Johnson won both the 200 meters and 400 meters, becoming the first man to win both events at the same World Championships. He then achieved the same double at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, running the 200 meters in a then-world-record time of 19.32 seconds and winning the 400 meters in 43.49 seconds. His distinctive upright running style, characterized by a short stride and high cadence, stood in contrast to conventional sprinting technique but was highly effective.

Johnson defended his 400-meter title at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and also won gold in the 4x400 relay, bringing his career Olympic gold medal total to four. He held the 200-meter world record of 19.32 seconds from 1996 until it was broken by Usain Bolt in 2008. His 400-meter world record of 43.18 seconds, set at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, stood until 2016.

Johnson retired from competition in 2001 and subsequently became a television athletics commentator, particularly for the BBC and for various international broadcasting outlets. He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.