Former Olympic champion and world record holder Michael Johnson is vocal about his opinions on all things track and field. Recently, he criticized the track world's focus on time, alleging that a normal person had no idea what the times signified.
Johnson is considered one of the greatest sprinters of all time. His decade-long career on the track saw him win four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships titles. The 57-year-old called time on his career in 2001, but has continued to stay associated with the sport, using his platform to combat track and field's dying popularity.
Recently, an X user took to the social media platform to share a pub trivia night question they had encountered. The question read ‘Michael Johnson won gold at the 2000 Olympics by running what distance in 43.84 seconds: 200 meters or 400 meters’, and the post was captioned,
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“A real toughie at pub trivia night tonight.”
Replying to this post, Johnson shared his honest opinion about the track's focus on time, writing:
“How long have I said the sport is too focused on times, because the average person doesn’t even understand them? Exhibit A: 🤣🤣🤣.”
Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track announces broadcast partners
Since retiring from sprinting in 2000, Michael Johnson has continued to stay closely involved with the sport, working on ways to combat its depleting popularity. In 2024, the American announced the launch of Grand Slam Track, a league aimed to bring in more viewers for track and field.
Recently, Johnson announced that the league had signed a broadcast agreement with The CW Network and NBC Sports, with the former named the exclusive U.S. broadcast home of the event, while NBC’s Peacock was handed exclusive streaming rights for GST.
“We’re delighted to finally be able to announce this incredibly exciting broadcast and streaming partnership to all our fans in the United States. I’d like to personally thank both our great friends and partners at The CW and NBC Sports for putting together this agreement, which will help us continue to revolutionize the sport of track. We were determined to make sure that Grand Slam Track™ would be seen by millions of fans across the country, and we’re delighted to be delivering on that promise. We can’t wait to get started with our Slams in April; you won’t want to miss this,” Johnson said in a press release.
Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track will feature four meets between April and June. Multiple star athletes have signed with the league, including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Masai Russell, Fred Kerley, and Kenny Bednarek.
