Michael Johnson expresses his opinion as he reacts to Gabby Thomas shedding light on the misconceptions about track

Michael Johnson reacted to Gabby Thomas's comments about people's misconceptions about running and sprinting. This came months after the Olympian signed with the Johnson-hosted Grand Slam Track league, set to begin in March 2025.

Gabby Thomas became a three-time Olympic gold medalist, winning the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m relay events at the 2024 Paris Games. She concluded her 2024 track season with the Alexis Ohanian-hosted Athlos NYC, clinching the 200m silver behind Brittany Brown.

In November 2024, the Olympic gold medalist signed with the Grand Slam Track League to compete in its inaugural edition in March 2025. In preparation for the event, Thomas engaged in a Q&A session with GST, addressing general people's misconceptions about sprinting and running.

She said:

"I think the general person doesn't know that sprinters don't do long-distance running, Like, 'do you want to go for a run?', 'No.. No, I don't,'" she said bursting into laughter.

Thomas shared the fun session in her X handle with a couple of laughing emojis. Michael Johnson, the founder of the Grand Slam Track League chimed in to share his views.

"Telling people sprinting does not equal running, they look at you like you just explained a quantum physics equation," he said.

Gabby Thomas won the 200m dash at the Diamond League stop in London before making waves in Paris.

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Gabby Thomas shared why events like Grand Slam Track League will change the scenario of sports in the United States

Thomas posing with the US flag after her victory at the Olympic Games-Paris 2024 - (Source: Getty)

Gabby Thomas won her debut medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, walking home with the 200m bronze and 4x100m relay silver. She continued her excellence in Paris, becoming the most decorated US track athlete in the quadrennial event.

Despite the success, Thomas recently addressed the issue of people only understanding Olympic track competitions every four years. In an interview with People, the five-time Olympic medalist appreciated Johnson's initiative to change the sports scenario and introduce more races, especially in the US.

"People don’t really know how to watch track if it’s not the Olympics every four years. We need opportunities to race more frequently, especially in the United States. So I think this will really help with that.”

Opining on the four-meet structure of the league, Thomas noted:

"People don’t really know how to watch track if it’s not the Olympics every four years. We need opportunities to race more frequently, especially in the United States. So I think this will really help with that.”

She also touched on the bigger prize purse in her conversation with People, sharing:

"I think it’ll bring a lot competitors, which will also drive competition."

Thomas enjoyed her track downtime with several fashionable appearances in events like the Vogue Fashion Funds, New York Fashion Week, and others.