Michael Johnson pays heartfelt tribute as former Olympic medalist Ralph Mann passes away

Michael Johnson recently reacted to former Olympic medalist Ralph Mann's death who breathed his last on Thursday (2nd December). As per reports, Mann was suffering from pancreatic cancer and eventually passed away at the age of 75.

Besides his 1972 Olympic endeavors where he bagged a silver medal in the 400m hurdles event, Mann also won two medals at the Pan American Games. His first medal came in 1971 where he bagged the gold medal and then followed it up with a silver in the 1975 event. Additionally, he also had impressive performances at the NCAA level where he won three national championships consecutively.

Johnson took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to share some kind words for the legendary athlete and USATF National Hall of Famer. Johnson stated that Mann had an immense impact on several athletes and coaches in the track circuit and further added:

"Ralph Mann had a positive influence on the careers of many athletes and coaches. It was his work that helped my coach and I realize my unorthodox sprinting style was actually an advantage."

Notably, Ralph Mann was also highly educated with a doctorate in biomechanics from Washington State University.

Michael Johnson talks about his Grand Slam Track League

Michael Johnson donning a denim jacket and black cap during the US Open Cup Championships (Image via: Getty Images)

Michael Johnson recently opened up about the need for his upcoming track endeavor, the Grand Slam Track League.

In an interview, Johnson stated that track and field discipline hasn't been properly marketed in the last few decades. He also mentioned that the discipline's popularity takes a sharp rise during the Olympics and then goes down during the other season, which GST aims to change. He said:

"There’s been a big void in the marketing of track and the profile of track over the last several decades. It’s popular at a very high level every four years during the Olympics, then falls out significantly in between. So the vision is to elevate the sport to this sort of level of UFC, Formula One and tennis and golf and other individual sports." [via Los Angeles Times]

During the interview, Michael Johnson also mentioned that his league will facilitate building relationships between the athletes and fans. Set to start in the upcoming 2025 season, Michael Johson's league has signed several top athletes so far such as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, Masai Russell, etc.