Michael Johnson The Fastest Man On Earth
by: octanmen@gmail.com
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Top athletes have that magical balance between the mind and body that works in perfection and the skills seem to flow without any extra effort. They listen to their body and mind; read their muscles and bridge the gap between the thoughts and actions. They manage to keep their perfection level at the top, keeping in the back of their mind that they can loose.
Only few in the world know this better than perhaps the fastest man on earth Michael Johnson the only sprinter to win both 200-m and 400-m events in a single Olympic Games. He had his own share of disappointments and hard luck. He suffered from food poisoning just before the 1992 Olympics and couldnt make it to the podium when he was favored to win. Just before the 2000 Olympics, he injured his quadriceps and couldnt qualify for the 200-m race. For many athletes it is enough to say goodbye to their beloved professions, but for Michael Johnson, his determination, sheer speed and class earned him five Olympic golds, and kept the string of records unbeaten.
Born on September 13, 1967, in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson graduated from Baylor University where he was coached by Clyde Hart, and it was during that time that Johnson won the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. His sprint career got a start when he won the World Championship 200-m title in Tokyo in 1991.
Johnson was the favorite to win the 200-m event in 1992 Olympics, but the food poisoning incident, twelve days prior to the kick-off, eliminated him from the event in the semifinals. Though he was a part of the US team which won 4x400-m relay.
Before coming to Atlanta for the 1996 Olympics, he had a history of events with him the No. 1 ranking player in the world for five times in between two Olympics.
On July 29, Johnson was running in his symbolic golden colored track shoes to set the Olympic record of 43.49 in 400-m. Three days later he created history in 200-m finals. As the gun fired, Johnson reacted a bit early and had a stumble just four steps into the race. He recovered and went into a gear he himself wasnt aware; he was fast and incredible at the finish line and in just 19.32 seconds he created history among 80,000 fans who were chanting his name.In the beginning of his career, Johnson was involved in two sports football and track field, but quitted the former with the reasons that the game is a bit aggressive. He had a very erect style of running, and coaches never thought of him reaching to such heights. But, he proved them wrong. He was not able to qualify for the 1988 Olympics because of a fracture he developed on his left fibula.
In 1992 Barcelona Olympics while preparing for the races after a warm-up Johnson and his agent went for dinner to Burger King. But, somehow they changed the decision and went to El Candil, a Spanish restaurant where they had dinner on the previous night. It was the dinner at this restaurant that caused him food poisoning. He lost in the semis as he could not completely recover from the illness. He knew what he missed and to regain the glory of Olympics which is far beyond the weight of the medallion, he had to wait for four years. But, the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta transformed this modest athlete to a great, may be the third most favorite household name in the track and field after the legends Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis. He went on defending his 400-m title in Sydney Olympics and also anchored the US 4x400-m relay team to victory, but failed to retain his title in 200-m event due an injury.
Michael Johnson has run the distances, won the distances, and created distances from fellow athletes in records, which are there to remain on track and field over a period of time now.
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