"I am so thankful when an athlete sees respectful critique as helpful"- Michael Johnson reacts to Rhasidat Adeleke taking his feedback positively

Michael Johnson recently reacted to Rhasidat Adeleke's positive response to the feedback that he gave to the Irish athlete. Following Johnson's feedback, Adeleke began working on her technique and incorporated suggestions made by Johnson into her training regimen.

Adeleke is currently one of the most promising athletes, holding seven national records in the sprint disciplines, including 60m, 100m, 200m (both indoors and outdoors), 300m indoors, and 400m (indoors and outdoors).

In a recent interview, Adeleke revealed how she has been working on her technique to enhance her speed despite facing difficulty. Here's what she said: (via Off The Ball)

“When you're trying to develop something that you've never done and change the way you've been running for years, it can be very hard because every single stride you're trying to go back to your old form. But it's definitely something that I just have to be really, really intentional with and each training session I'm getting there.”

The 400m European championships silver medalist shared details of the technical adjustments, saying,

“You're supposed to pump because it's supposed to be, it connects with your hips and then allows you to really extend your stride and keep your stride up. But I'd kind of put my arms wherever.”

Adeleke also shared what she learned from Michael Johnson’s advice.

“Like Michael Johnson said, when your arms are kind of all over the place, your body starts moving. So when you're like, when you're pumping, your body stays straight. But when your arms are kind of all over the place and you're putting your arms in random directions, your body moves with that and then your legs can't go in a diagonal direction,” she said.

The legendary American sprinter reacted to this interview of Adeleke by acknowledging Adeleke's positive outlook.

“I am so thankful when an athlete sees respectful critique as helpful! Today there’s a risk it will be seen as an attack,” he wrote.

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Michael Johnson talked about Rhasidat Adeleke’s technique when she featured at 2023 NCAATF Championships

Michael Johnson shared his feedback on Adeleke’s technique after seeing her race at the 2023 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships during her heats, where she placed second. He stated:

“Look out when she learns to use those arms. She’s carrying them instead using them to drive the legs. The difference is significant over 400. Helps increase speed and reduce fatigue.”

Adeleke proceeded to win the first final, clocking in an incredible 50.45 seconds to finish ahead of Amber Anning and Savannah Sutherland, who finished in 51.22 and 51.60 seconds, respectively.