"I got a story too" - Michael Johnson reacts to the Noah Lyles vs Quincy Hall 4x400m relay controversy

Former American Olympian Michael Johnson shared his take on the recent Noah Lyles versus Quincy Hall controversy, where Lyles snubbed the latter athlete from his 4x400m relay team for the Paris Olympics, sparking a widespread debate.

It started with Lyles' appearance on the Track World News podcast on Monday, July 15, where he expressed his desire to participate in the 4x400m relay event at the Paris Olympics and even shared his lineup with Colin Waitzman and NCAA champion Noah Williams, the hosts of the podcast.

Sharing his team for the 4x400m relay event, the 27-year-old kept Chris Bailey as the leadoff, himself in the second leg, Michael Norman in the third leg, and then finally Rai Benjamin in the anchor role.

Lyles omitted Quincy Hall, the current US champion and the ninth-fastest American runner in the 400m discipline, from the team, saying that he didn't see him fitting in the lineup and clarifying that it would be a waste of his talent.

"The only reason I wouldn’t use the current U.S. champion is because I don’t think that he would be a starter. I feel like using him on the first leg would just be almost like a waste to his talent. I just don’t see him getting his full capability out of the first leg,” Lyles said in the podcast.

Quincy Hall hit back at the Florida native and challenged him for a 400m faceoff whenever he was ready. In a recent development, retired four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson shared his opinion with regard to the controversy.

Johnson replied to sprinter and long jumper Tianna Tashelle's tweet, in which she narrated an old story identical to the Lyles vs. Hall incident. She mentioned that she was once told that the relay team was looking for "new faces," following which she challenged her fellow athletes. However, she ended up being banned from relay camp instead.

Replying to her tweet, Michael Johnson also shared a story of his early days and wrote:

"I got a story too! 1992 a group of 400 sprinters tried to keep me off the 4x4. At relay camp I asked if anyone present had ever beaten me at 400 meters? Crickets! I was on the team. We won gold and broke the world record."

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Michael Johnson explains why he could never compete in 4x100 events due to relay politics in the 90s era

Olympic & Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 and Beyond - Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid 2024

A legend of the sprinting world, Michael Johnson, collected four Olympic gold medals across three Games (1992-2000). His victories spanned the 200m, 400m, and 4x400m relay events.

Adding to his impressive haul, he has also amassed eight World Championship gold medals in the aforementioned categories. However, he could never compete in the 4x100 relay events during his professional career.

When a fan questioned the 56-year-old Dallas, Texas, native on his X handle (previously Twitter), he revealed why he missed out.

"2 reasons. One fair. One unfair. UNFAIR: 90’s relay politics were crazy. ‘91 I was left off the 4x4 despite being world ranked #1. They lost! FAIR: US 100m depth at that time was ridiculous! Who would I replace?" he wrote.

With an eye toward promoting both the sport and the athletes who participate in it, Michael Johnson is currently preparing to start the Grand Slam Track League in 2025.