Michael Johnson gives strong opinion about criticism surrounding Quincy Wilson's running form

Michael Johnson is one of the best 400m runners of all time. Recently, the American weighed in on 17-year-old Quincy Wilson’s ‘unorthodox’ running form, which has been under scrutiny since his performance at the New Balance Nationals Indoors.

Wilson first rose to fame last year, when he set multiple World U18 records in the 400m distance and qualified for the Paris Olympics, where he won gold as part of the 4x400m relay team. Recently, the youngster competed at the New Balance Nationals Indoors, where he won his third-consecutive 400m title while anchoring his Bullis team to the win in the 4x400m relay.

While Wilson’s performance in both races was impressive, his form in the 4x400m relay came under fire from many fans. Recently, Michael Johnson joined the conversation to give his honest opinion about the youngster’s unorthodox running technique, writing on X,

“Two things about unorthodox form. 1) Should it be corrected? His low and outward arm swing will cause fatigue earlier than necessary, so yes. 2) When to correct? Age, current results, and difficulty of the change all should factor. He’s young and already fast. Plenty of time!”

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Michael Johnson heaps praise on Quincy Wilson and Christian Miller

Johnson at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid (Image Source: Getty)

2024 saw the rise of multiple young stars in the world of track and field, with the likes of 400m national champion Quincy Wilson, U18 100m world record holder Christian Miller, Australian 200m record holder Gout-Gout, and NCAA champion Christopher Morales-Williams all delivering some surprising times.

While Michael Johnson has previously shown his reluctance to compare fast youngsters to pro athletes, he praised both Wilson and Miller for their ‘race maturity,’ writing on X,

“Quincy Wilson and Christian Miller both have great natural talent, but what’s most impressive is they exhibit advanced race maturity for their age.”

Michael Johnson is widely considered to be one of the best 200m and 400m sprinters to have graced the sport. He first rose to fame in 1991, when he stormed to the 200m title at the Word Championships. A year later, he won gold at the Barcelona Olympics as part of the 4x400m relay team.

Over the course of his career, the American went on to win three more Olympic golds and seven more World Championships titles. Johnson retired from sprinting in 2001 but has continued to stay closely associated with the sport.