"I want to be someone like Michael Johnson" - When Usain Bolt opened up about igniting the dream of winning an Olympic gold medal

In his book Faster Than Lightning: My Autobiography, Usain Bolt wrote that he wanted to be like Michael Johnson, who made the 400m race seem effortless, staying upright even when fatigued. Watching him dominate, Bolt had a sudden realization that he, too, wanted to be an Olympic gold medalist.

Bolt tried to copy Johnson's style but found that the rigid, upright posture didn't suit him and hurt his back. He abandoned the idea but kept learning, studying old footage and Jamaican legends like Herb McKenley and Arthur Wint. He later watched Don Quarrie and focused on perfecting his cornering technique.

Bolt first saw Johnson in a videotape of the 1996 Olympics. Watching the Games was rare in Jamaica due to financial and technological limits. Johnson's record-breaking 19.32 second and 200m run thrilled the Lightning Bolt.

"Johnson seemed so smooth, he made his races look too easy," Bolt wrote in his memoir. "Even when he was tiring towards the end of the 400 meters final - the seconds when his muscles were probably burning up- every part of his body was upright. As he crossed the line in first place, I remember thinking: 'Man, I want to be somebody like Michael Johnson. I want to be an Olympic gold medalist."

Usain Bolt set his first 100m world record in 2007. At 16 years old, he became the 2002 World Junior Champion. In the 2008 Beijing Games, he won gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.

Usain Bolt on breaking the 19-second barrier in the 200m after meeting Michael Johnson

Usain Bolt at the 2024 Laureus World Sport Awards Madrid - Source: Getty

During an interview with BBC Sport on July 25, 2016, Usain Bolt met his childhood idol, Michael Johnson. During the interview, they discussed Bolt's goal of breaking the 200m world record and the challenges of going under 19 seconds.

Reflecting on his goal of breaking the 19-second record, Bolt said:

"I think it's going to be a lot trickier now because of the setbacks that I've had throughout the season. It's something I really wanted, also. You never know what is going to happen, but I think I may be able to break the world record. But sub-19 is going to be really tricky to get to. If I can hold my form, my technique, I think that will determine if I get the world record."

Michael Johnson, during his career, won four Olympic gold medals and became a world champion eight times. He retired from competitive games in 2001 and built a successful career as a media pundit.