"There is never going to be another Usain Bolt"- Michael Johnson makes feelings known about next generation of track and field

Former athlete Michael Johnson recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming generation of track and field athletes. Johnson's track event, Grand Slam Track League, will commence in April.

Johnson sat for an interview with the YouTube channel 'Jamaica,' where he opened up about various aspects of track and field. Being a former track and field athlete himself, he opened up about how the audience of the sport works. However, he emphasized that change is absolutely necessary.

Drawing from the experience he gained while watching Usain Bolt compete, he weighed in on the apparently wrong fundamentals of the sport, saying people have been waiting for another athlete like Bolt. Calling the Jamaican 'unique,' Johnson said new competitive leagues need to be created to find the best athletes in every generation.

"It was the same thing when I was running, there wasn't a lot of competition, people enjoyed watching me run and win. People enjoy watching Usain run and win. But what we are doing while building with Grand Slam Track, I think it's a very important point, where you're not always going to have these generational talents and one of the fundamental flaws with the sport is that we've always been looking for you know when we enjoyed the time that Usain was in the sport and then when he retired, what was being said,' oh we need another, we need a new star.' We can't, there's not going to be another Usain Bolt," Michael Johnson said. (9:44 onwards)

He added:

"He is a very unique individual, that's what makes him so special. We can't rely on finding Usain Bolt to sustain the sport. We have to create the league of the sport where you have the best of the best athletes competing against one another.

Michael Johnson launched his Grand Slam Track League in July 2024, ahead of the Paris Olympics. The event is slated to be held from April to September this year.

Michael Johnson on the frustration that led to the creation of the Grand Slam Track League

Michael Johnson recently appeared on The Rich Eisen Show, where he opened up about the creation of the Grand Slam Track League. He revealed that the reason behind starting this league was the frustration of the track athletes of not getting enough opportunities to prove themselves.

He said he launched this league to provide the athletes with the opportunities to do whatever they wish to, including competing against rivals, head-to-head opportunities, and more. He further compared track and field to other sports, including tennis, golf, and others that have several opportunities to prove themselves. Reflecting on this, he showcased his frustration, saying:

“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."

Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track has an impressive prize pool of $100,000 for the first-place finish in any event. The silver medalists will be receiving $50,000.