- 11 Aug 08, 09:40 AM
Michael Johnson once made me cry.
It was 1 August 1996 when he crossed the Olympic finishing line having set a new world record for the 200 metres in Atlanta.
It was either whoop with delight or cry in astonishment, and I'm not ashamed to admit his earth shattering achievement, setting a record which still stands today, elicited a salty eyed response.
I couldn't believe what I'd just seen and I felt privileged to have witnessed it. Those golden shoes, that upright stance, those short steps and his squatting by the trackside clock are all images that will live with me forever.
My Games is now giving you a unique opportunity to talk with Johnson.
The only man to win both the 200m and 400m at the same Games will be with us on Wednesday, 13 August and if you have any questions for one of the greatest Olympians of all time, here's your chance.
You can use your webcam to speak to him directly or you can e-mail your questions to mygames@bbc.co.uk.
We'd also like to hear your memories of Michael Johnson's achievements.
Competing at Barcelona '92, Atlanta '96 and Sydney 2000, he's a four time gold medallist, which would have been five had his 4x400m relay team mate Antonio Pettigrew not been running under the influence of illegal drugs in Sydney.
Johnson is also the only man to have successfully defended a 400m Olympic title.
A nine-time World Champion and a multiple winner of various athletics and sports awards, he's now a very watchable, well-informed and engaging television pundit, often working for the BBC during the European athletics season and the Olympics.
We're lucky to have him; he is a legend.
So, what would you like to ask him?
It can be anything - from what he has for breakfast to whether he thinks drugs and doping are eventually going to ruin the credibility of athletics.
The former world 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell believes drug cheats should be imprisoned, I wonder if Johnson agrees?
Wednesday's the day, Beijing's the place, and Johnson is the man!
For me, it's going to be a huge privilege just to shake his hand, I just hope I don't cry!
We may need to contact you - please indciate whether you are happy for us to do so when submitting your question.
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Comments
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I am one of the many who is fed up of the whole Drug speculation that arises at all the games that occur. We all are aware that Drugs have been around for so long in sport and to keep ahead of the cheats has always been a challenge.
So how do we improve the image of sports in particular the Olympics. Well we cannot as it only takes one cheat and the seed of doubt will always enter the minds of the viewing public.
It's fantastic we get firm stances against drugs from the top athletes like (Asafa Powell) but sometimes we don't get that from the entire community.
I'm not sure Jail is the correct approach but why do we allow previous cheats to compete again? We have laws in different countries that make it difficult to ban cheats forever. But this is sport where politics should not enter but it has to. We need a common agreement that all athletes should signup to as an agreement that they will not "cheat" (Drugs or blood transfusions etc) that can be used as a basis in any court to accept an athlete should not compete again if they break the rules. If they don't sign they don't compete for their country.
Harsh, Yes but it's the only way to get to a point where the punishment fits the cause and second chances should not be available to athletes who cheat. They will have find a new direction in their lives that doesn't affect anyone else i.e. leave sport behind as you are clearly not able to compete fairly.
We need support and not just lip service from the Sporting community to become tougher.
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Hi Michael,
It would seem that Badger has answered his own question. lol!
How do you find commenting on the British athletes for the BBC. There always seems so much excitement about a British athlete possibly reaching a final and then how great they are for coming 8th. Does it seem a bit to over hyped for you and do you also struggle to get excited from your perspective, particulalry when it is usually an American winning the event?!
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Michael, massive fan of yours for years - I still watch the videos of your world records - it still makes me emotional like Adnan... what an astonishing talent you are.
My question is this - how do you square up our mentality in the UK about "taking part" and "getting experience" against "winning" and "being in it to win" - it seems that we in the UK care now more about just taking part than winning. Why don't we pay you a million bucks to teach us the art of winning again...please !
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Hi Michael,
Obviously the big issue in the sport at the moment is the issue of drug cheats., and i know it has cos tyou a gold medal due to someone elses use of them.
My question is do you believe that the laws outlined by the IOC and the atheltics federations should be universal and a standard code should be upheld worldwide for all federations, or do you feel that the current rules, with each country implementing their own laws suffice?
Also which race on the track are you most looking forward to? obviously many people are expecting a lot of records to go this year.
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Hi Michael,
Hope you are well.
If I'm not mistaken, the second 100m of your 200m success in Atlanta must be the fastest anyone has covered the distance given the running start.
What was your fastest time over 100m from a standing start?
Would an unprecedented sprint triple been possible?
Many thanks and enjoy the games,
phezza
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Dear Michael,
Your achievements in athletics speak for themselves, so I'd like to focus on your role for the BBC as an expert analyst. It must be very rare for someone to be world champion in two very different spheres, but if there's a more interesting, intelligent and charming commentator on any sport, he or she is certainly not working in the UK, and that's no disrespect to anyone.
I watch primarily golf, athletics, soccer and horse racing, and while I switch off any former footballer before being bored to death, also any of our British golfers bar Alliss, not to mention cackling ex-flat-race jockeys, our athletics is much better served generally. You however are the icing on the cake, and it's a privilege to be able to tell you that.
Keep well
David Bell
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Michael,
Anyone who wears golden shoes when competing has to back them up with some devastating performances. You did in breathtaking fashion.
In Atlanta you became a true sporting hero for many of all nations. So what I want to know is who are your sporting heroes who inspired you.
Many thanks
George.
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Michael,
Do you think its humanly possible to break the 9 second barrier in the 100m esp by a tall athletic sprinter like Bolt.
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I think MJ is a great tv pundit probably the best when on the BBC and he tells it like it is despite the British media not liking what they hear. In Athens it was "you don't go to the olympics to win a relay medal even if it is gold". Also " we treat unproven athletes as stars even before they have won anything". Unfortunately that still rings true with team GB.
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Who in your opinion is the greatest track athlete of all time? If Jeremy Warriner breaks your 400m world record do you think that he has the speed to move down to 200m?
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Hello Michael,
I would like to ask you about your great predecessor, Tommie Smith; but first I must tell you about when he ran in England in 1968. It was at the old 'White City' track in west London. He ran about 20.7 on cinders. Afterwards, I joined the long queue to get his autograph, which he signed with nice clear writing. Then I went back to my seat and watched more athletics. After half an hour or more I remembered that there had recently been an article about him in our Sportsworld magazine in which he said that he had pulled every muscle in his body. I decided to ask him about this, so I went back to the other end of the stadium where he was still very patiently signing autographs for a long queue of youngsters. I hung around feeling nervous. He looked round, saw me and said,'Oh, I have signed for you' which was very impressive, considering the numbers. I did not go away, and I could feel nervous tension. Then I asked,'Excuse me, but is your training really as painful as it said in the article?' And very quietly he said,'Oh, yes, it really is.' The tension was broken and I went away happy. I want to tell you I have never met a man with more grace and charisma - and patience with the young. [We were mainly white kids.]
In view of what happened at the Olympics, I wondered what happened to him afterwards. I think I saw on the internet that he is Dr Tommie Smith and has been a High School coach. I hope he did not pay a price for the gesture; and I hope it helped.
An obvious question is, did that help or hinder? Do protests and petitions help or hinder? And what of your future? After commentating, do you have a further career planned, e.g. in public life?
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Hi Mr Johnson,
I have watched and taken part in many sports throughout my 22 years, but one sport i never really took on as a kid was swimming. This question is not about athletics or your particular event but about sportsmen in general and i would like to create a debate...
In Michael Phelps, are we seeing the world's greatest modern day sportsman?
His achievements speak for themselves, but it seems that he is dominant, infact untouchable, in the water and perhaps if the swim meet was over two or three weeks he could infact come away with much more than 8 gold medals!
When i think of the greatest ever sportsmen i think of Jordan, Woods, Schumacher, Sampras/Federer - people who dominated their sports for years. Do you think that Phelps is amongst these people? Do you think that he could eclipse them to be THE greatest?
Just an interesting thought...
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Hi Michael.
Do the BBC Team know what the plans are for the 2012 London Marathon. Will it go ahead as normal and then followed by the Olympic marathon. I think it would be great for the 2012 team to combine the two events and therefore allow the thousands of runners to take part in the Olympics. Of course there will be the professional race as currently happens in the London marathon.
this would be a great opportunity to show the world that amateurs of all levels can take part in the Games!
Your opinion on this subject would be great.
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Hi Michael,
First I want to know how bad you feel about being the cause of Roger Black coming second and having to take only silver? Well he was about as far ahead of the bronze medalist as you were ahead of him. If it wasn't for you being there he would be considered one of the best 400 runners of all time, LOL, just teasing!!!
One thing about us Brits, even if we have winners and true greats at any time, we always appreciate great sportspeople regardless of where they come from. Even if we had a better tennis player then McEnroe and a better runner then you, we would still appreciate you both for your amazing talent. We didn't have those things so we appreciate your talents even more.
Thanks for the thrills.
C
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Michael
Firstly you were a running genius. Like Adnan I consider the Atlanta 200 to be one of the greatest sporting moments of all time.
I watched a documentary on John Akii Bua last night on BBC2 and witnessed someone of great natural talent and speed who allied this to training harder than anyone had before. Did you train harder than your competitors or smarter? Did you identify any training methods that gave you an advantage? Or was your success mainly down to natural talent? Could someone like Roger Black have beaten you by using your training methods?
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Michael,
Judging by comments you have made and your memorable celebrations in Atlanta, you clearly revere the Olympics and regard winning the gold medal as the apex of an athlete's career. Given the importance of winning and knowing that some of your competitors were in all probability using performance enhancing drugs, were you ever tempted to use steroids yourself, even for a nanosecond?
Secondly, what are your personal feelings towards Antonio Pettigrew, whose actions have cost you one of those precious gold medals?
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Hi Michael,
I always wonder when I see a runner win while wearing a necklace of some kind as it seems to flap around like crazy when he is running. I can understand it if there is a cross on it, but you were wearing a big necklace without one when you set your 200m world record. Do you think you might have gone even faster without a necklace at all?
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Michael,
Having come from the US, a nation where the collegiate (NCAA) sports sytem is both prominent and important, do you think Great Britain would benefit from using a similar system?
If you do, where do you think the benefits lie? Is it better scouting and talent identification? Experiencing important competition at a young age? More funding for coaching? etc.
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What was the atmosphere really like in the Chicago Bulls dressing room during the 90's? Do you miss playing on the court?
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Michael,
Much was made of your running style. Given that you smashed both 200m and 400m world records and were unrivalled (and maybe still are) in both, do you think that maybe your upright technique was "correct" and the rest of us have got it wrong?!
Jonathan
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Hi Michael
What do you put the improvment of your 200m record by a third of a second in 1996 down to?
Some people have said that the track in Atlanta was extra hard and aided the sprinters, whilst long distance runners suffered blisters. How much truth do you think there is in this, after all you never managed to get close to 19.32 on another occassion?
I still regard it as the best performance of all time any sport by the way!
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Hi Michael,
I was 15 years old when you shattered the 200m world record in Atlanta. I'll never forget that night.
I just knew that I was going to see something special when you stepped on track. It was one of those moments that gave me goosebumps. like when a young Mike Tyson stepped into a boxing ring or when Ronaldo stepped onto a soccer pitch for Brazil. I just knew I was going to see a special performance from a special and uniquely talented individual.
After that one performance I was hooked on athletics and became sprinter winning several county championships and competing in several Irish national finals.
I once read in an interview that you "craved the fear" of nerves on the start line...is this true? I felt sick every time I lined up, but I often related it to what I believed you said, and I began to like it, to want that thrill.
Did you in fact "crave the fear" on the start line and what went through your head when you crossed the finish line and seen the clock stopped at 19.32?
Thanks,
Damien.
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Hi Michael,
I hope you are well.
Tell me why did you retire from athletics when you did?
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Michael,
That 200m race in Atlanta has to be my favourite sporting moment of all time but i was equally happy when you finally broke the 400m record as it would have been a travesty if you did not obtain that!
My questions to you are:
I know that once you ran a 42.9 split in a 4 x 400 relay, but what was your fastest ever time in training for 200 and 400? Were they perhaps better than your world records?
And what sort of gym work did you do? was it few reps on heavy weights to build up the explosivenss or would that bulked you up too much for the 400?
Thanks
P.S. I think your records will stay for some time yet - i can see Bolt running 19.5 maybe and Wariner seems to have faded after running 43.45 last season.
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Michael
Did you ever get offered drugs or masking agents for drugs during your time as a sprinter?
Tim
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Hi Michael,
Your 200m world record is 19.32sec, if you break that down you are running an average of 9.66sec per100m which of course is a world record time for the 100m.
With those average times it seems to me you would have dominated that event aswell! Did you ever think about running competitevly in the 100m? and out of curiosity I always wanted to know what is your P.B in that event?
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Hi Michael:
i hope that you are enjoying your time in beijing...
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thanks adnan:
for being our being our guide in beijing on the sport front for the bbc.
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Michael - Huge fan of your work.
I read this morning that you just rejected a new contract at Man City and are poised for an 8m move to Arsenal or Everton. Is there any truth in this or are the British press just playing mind games with us?
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Can we remove Gibmeister's posts please? Someone thinks he's being clever...what an idiot!
Michael,
It ia a real honour to have the opportunity to talk to one of my sporting heroes. Watching your 200M world record run in Atlanta still gives me goosebumps.
My question is about the 100M sprint in Beijing. It seems to me that Asafa Powell is already talking himself out of a gold medal. I heard today that he is concerned that too much blood has been taken because he has been tested so frequently. Should the top athletes be subjected to more frequent drug testing than the rest of the field? And do you think Powell should be making such public statements a week before the biggest race of his life?
Thanks.
Phil
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#28 - please see the "Gay removes flash from 100m dash" blog for a detailed discussion on this. Bottom line is you can't just divide a 200m time by two, as the second 100m in the 200 has no stationary start so is not comparable.
200/400m runners need a bit more stamina, whereas 100m runners just need explosive, short-lived power. The 200 is always interesting as you get a crossover between 100m and 400m runners and different body types, so it's prob my favourite event.
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2 questions.
Why are you on British television and not NBC? To me it seems like if Sir Steve Redgrave was a prime commentator for another country, do NBC not want the finest former track athlete America has around?
Usually in the past, athletes have won gold in the 100m at the age of 25+, now it seems to be coming down. Will these current crop of young athletes improve? What chance do the British quintet have of breaking 10seconds and challenging for world titles? Bearing in mind they are still young (Harry A-A being 19 still).
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I was so inspired by Michael Johnson since Tokyo1991..I dont beleave there is someone who do appreciate him more than i do.
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Dear Mike, i'm called mike too, I'm currently working in the sahara doing NDT for Uncle Phil at lloyds.
I'm thinking about trying for the 2012 games in london. i have started training by walking from the Base de vie to the CPF 2 times a day, i'm Also doing my API 570 Could you give me some advise
best regards
Mike
P.s. what kind of rate are you on?
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I follow Michael Johnson since tokyo1991, i can answere to most questions of those people..i saw already some nosens questions, i dont think Michael wil answere to any question. like the one of " why Micheal u retired?" so what u want Michael to win more? he has won everything and logicly he wouldnt find the motivation for that. the only thing i miss on him, was that he didnt run individuel under the bariere of 43s in 400m, witch he was able to. i heard many coments saying that Michael is not human, nice to heard, however the thrut he is the most human athlet i have ever seen..
what an inspiration i get from this men !
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All I want to know is how did you manage to become one of the greatest sprinter on the planet with your running style ! ? :) and if you had a perfect athletics running posture , do you think you would've got a little faster ?
As a coach we are trained not to correct athletes running style . What do you think ? I understand a distance runner can get away with me but not a sprinter.
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Hi Michael,
its a great priviledge and my question intends no disrespect to you or other "has beens", especially you as the world's still shaking from your track exploits.
However you will, God willing, live longer as a retired champion than as a competing athlete, and I'd like to know:
1. how do you keep yourself fit and in shape, and
2. how can we post 40-somethings (and potential champions in our dreams) start/ keep running on dodgy knees that have seen better times?
Keep well and God bless
Adnan (another one)
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Hi Michael,
As you may have guessed from my username, I am a big fan of yours.
My question is two fold.
First, I would appreciate your opinion on the tactics of sprinters in qualifying thru the heats and semi-finals. It seems that nobody out there wants to show how fast they can really go and usually ease up in the closing stages. After 4 years of preparation, I believe every athlete should give 100% in every race at the Olympic games since it is the most prestigeous meet in the calender. Is it too much to ask a guy to run flat out in 3 races? I also think Asafa Powell could benefit by closing out his races and running thru the pain barrior in the last 25 metres of a race.
Second, Is there anything an athlete can do to prepare for the Olympic games since it only comes round every 4 years. When all the training is done and an athlete is in the blocks waiting for the gun, it must feel completely different to be carrying the hopes of a nation. My feeling is that the temperament of an athlete is something you cannot change despite having all the natural ability to win gold.
Appreciate your opinions........
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as i guess am the one who appreciate u more..i have a 2 different questions...the first: once in the begining of 90s in an interview with a french jornalist ( l'equipe), u admeted that u run for money insteeds for glory as i do beleave...but why u sayed that, or did u regreted to say that?
the other question, u are too tough against athlets who use drugs. we al knew u had a huge talent and u worked on it, and things goes good for you, but if you dont have that huge talent..and u couldnt dominated and win as u did, would you be a little bit less tough against those cheaters?
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Hi,
How much do you think "positive thinking" actually affects an athlete? Does being confident/cocky actually make you run faster, or does it not really have an affect?
Thanks!
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Shame. My brilliant question was used but not credited to me... Scandalous :P
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Great run by our Tyrone Edgar in the 100m. Has anyone else noticed that he had his number on the front of his vest on upside down - so it read 1081 instead of 1801.
I hope this does not affect his qualification, and he gets it right in the next race !
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I saw you, Michael at the 1996 Atlanta games, where I live, and saw you blow away the record at 200M. I was watching the feed on NBC in the US, and they showed you reporting for the BBC, and how you smiled while Usain Bolt was running so well. And then, jubilation that he broke the record. There was a discussion on ESPN lately, do athletes like there records to be broken, or do they want to hold on to them.
Great to watch you again.
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