Michael Johnson gets 100% real about his own and athletes' frustration that drove Grand Slam Track's creation

Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson recently talked about facing the same frustration during his era as the athletes face today. Johnson revealed his past frustration and how it became one of the reasons for the creation of the Grand Slam Track.

Discussing further, Johnson said that track and field as a sport is great at the grassroots and NCAA levels, but there is a void at the top.

The athletes have to wait for four years to have a significant impact on the sport in the Olympic Games. To tackle that, Michael Johnson decided to take his idea of Grand Slam Track and pitch it to the athletes. On The Rich Eisen Show, Johnson claimed that he approached the athletes and said that this is the event curated for them so they can be in their element of competition and rivalry. He said,

“Hey you know, I’m delivering on a league exclusive for you when you get the opportunity to do exactly what you want, which is compete against your rivals, have those head-to-head competitions, have those rivalries also to be able to story-tell and help you build your brand by delivering and packaging this in a way that is compelling to the fans that features you guys.”

Comparing track and field to other sports, Johnson pointed out tennis, golf and UFC having multiple majors, tours and fights, respectively. So, the athletes have multiple opportunities to excel, which lifts a lot of pressure before the next event. Talking about the frustration of not having enough platforms for athletes, Johnson added (5:24 onwards),

“I have that same frustration, and that is the reason why I created the Grand Slam Track; because I was familiar with the plight of these athletes. When you only have an opportunity every four years to do something significant and leave your mark, it’s really difficult for an athlete to stay motivated in the sport.”

In conversation with the show host, Michael Johnson revealed that the athletes from all over the world were on board with the Grand Slam Track idea. Notably, the athletes are not just limited to the United States as representatives from 25 different countries are set to part in the upcoming event. The 100m hurdles podium finishers from the 2024 Paris Olympics, Masai Russell, Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho Quinn, are some of the many athletes confirmed for the event.

Grand Slam Track was an idea that Michael Johnson has been holding on to since 1990, but now has come to fruition.

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Michael Johnson on the Tyreek Hill vs Noah Lyles debate

Track legend Michael Johnson also commented on the ongoing Tyreek Hill vs Noah Lyles debate in the same show. He was quick to refute Tyreek Hill’s claim that he can beat Noah Lyles in a race. Drawing comparisons between being fast and being a sprinter, Michael said that there is more to sprinting than just running fast. There are strategies and pressures of competition involved. Michael Johnson said (12:16 onwards),

"Tyreek cannot beat 20th or 30th rank 100 meters runner in the world. No more than a track athlete who is fast can go over and play receiver or run routes like Tyreek and score touchdowns. It just doesn't happen. Now, if you create some kind of exhibition where you can even it out a little bit. Because Tyreek is quick, if it's about quickness then it might be compelling."

He further mentioned that this can be one of the formats they might be introducing in the Grand Slam Track, where celebrities, content creators and athletes from other sports can come and participate in exhibition races.

Michael Johnson is one of the most prominent sprinters in Olympic history with four gold medals to his name. Johnson proved his dominance over the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games by winning gold in both the 200 meters and the 400 meters, a feat. that had never been achieved before.