"Losing isn't greatness; It's losing"-Piers Morgan reacts to Michael Johnson telling silver and bronze medalists they achieved success at Paris 2024

Michael Johnson was contradicted by English broadcaster, Piers Morgan, for calling the silver and bronze finishes of the gold-medal favorite athletes, 'greatness'. According to Morgan, there was no explanation for losing if the athlete was supposed to win the gold at the Olympic level.

Michael Johnson, 56, was considered one of the greatest sprinters of his time. His repertoire consists of several gold medals -- four at the Summer Games and eight at the World Championships. He also held the indoor world record in the 400m as well as Olympic and world records in the 200m and 400m.

He competed at the 2000 Olympic Games last but stays closely associated with track and field to this date. After his retirement, he started working as a television commentator for the BBC and providing analysis of races and athletes. Johnson was present at the 2024 Paris Olympics as well, watching the athletes compete from up close.

As the Games nears the end, he called the gold-medal favorite athletes 'greatness' despite them missing the top prize at the Olympics. He felt medaling at the Olympics wasn't an easy task.

"Winning Olympic medals is hard. Even if you were favorite for gold and end up with silver or bronze it was hard. Thats greatness. Maybe not greatest on the day, but that’s greatness!" he wrote on his X account.

But Piers Morgan, the English broadcaster and host of 'Piers Morgan Uncensored', contradicted his claim and said 'losing can't be greatness'. He added that there's no explanation for not finishing on top if the athlete was a heavy favorite.

"Losing isn’t greatness, especially if you were favourite to win. It’s losing."

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Michael Johnson awaits the LA Olympics 2028 handover ceremony

The Paris Olympic gates will close on August 11, opening the way to Los Angeles Olympics 2028. On August 11, the handover celebration will take place at the Paris closing ceremony, which will kick off the run for the next quadrennial Games and reignite the hopes of thousands of athletes.

Michael Johnson made an appearance in the official date release of the celebration on the X page of LA28.

"Can't wait. Next up is LA28," he said in the clip.

Johnson has been an athletics pundit and an integral part of BBC's Olympic coverage since the 2004 Athens Olympics. With his vast track knowledge, Johnson introduced a new Track and Field League in 2024, which is set to kick off in 2025.