"Great race, great competition, excited crowd, excited announcer" - Michael Johnson reacts to 4x100m relay at African Games

Former American retired sprinter Michael Johnson recently reacted to the men’s 4x100m relay race that took place at the ongoing African Games 2023.

In an incredibly nail-biting contest, Nigeria took home the relay gold medal by clocking a 38.41s, finishing just 0.02s ahead of host nation Ghana as they ran a 38.43s. Liberia clinched the bronze with a national record time of 38.73s.

The final at the University of Ghana Sports Complex was filled with enthusiastic cheers from the fans who supported their respective teams.

Olympic medalist turned digital creator Rori Dunk shared a video of this race with his followers on X (formerly Twitter) account, and captioned it:

“What a race in the Men’s 4x100m at the African Games! Nigeria and Ghana finished in a tight race that was only separated by .02 at the line!”

Michael Johnson was elated to see the overall atmosphere during the race and went on to repost this on his X handle. He stated:

“Great race, great competition, excited crowd, excited announcer. How is this possible with no mention of WR, NR, AR, etc? Because racing is exciting and people love it. 👏🏾 #AfricanGames”

The four-time Olympic gold medalist also emphasized that racing can be thrilling even without World, National, and African records.

Athletics at the African Games 2023 kicked off on March 18 and will conclude on March 24, 2024. So far, Nigeria has claimed a total of 16 medals, including 9 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze medals, in the sport. Kenya and Ethiopia stand second and third respectively with 14 and 13 overall medals.

It is worth noting that the African Games 2023, initially scheduled from August 4 to August 19 in 2023, were postponed to March 8 to 23, 2024 due to economic pressures, delays in preparations, and acrimony between key stakeholders.

Michael Johnson remains the NACAC record holder in the men’s 400m

A portrait of Olympic and IAAF World Championship Gold medal wiinning 200 metres and 400 metres sprinter Michael Johnson of the United States on 20 June 2000 at Waco, Texas, United States. (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)

Despite retiring from the sport in 2008, Michael Johnson is still the North American record holder in the men’s 400m race. This includes the best mark set by an athlete competing for a member nation of the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC).

He established this record at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, where he clocked a phenomenal 43.18s. This stood as a world record for 17 years before South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk broke it at the Rio Olympics 2016 with a time of 43.03s.