“They’re each significantly better”- Michael Johnson reacts to the USA men’s 200m roster for Paris Olympics ft. Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek

American retired sprinter Michael Johnson recently reacted to the men’s 200m squad that will represent the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It will mirror the 2020 Tokyo Olympics team, with Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, and Erriyon Knighton on the roster.

All three athletes will head to their second consecutive Olympic Games in the men’s 200m courtesy of their remarkable performance at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. In the men’s 200m final, Lyles crossed the finish line in a world-leading time with 19.53s to emerge as the winner in the presence of a star-studded lineup.

Behind Lyles, Bednarek and Knighton came second and third by registering times of 19.59s and 19.77s, respectively. With this, Lyles and Bednarek made it to their second Olympic team for the Paris Olympics, having booked their spots earlier in the men's 100m team at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Following qualifying for the Olympics in the 200m, Noah Lyles shared a picture of the three sprinters with their medals from the trials on his X (formerly Twitter). The four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson reacted to this post, stating:

"Same team for Tokyo ‘21. They’re each significantly better!"

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Bednarek and Lyles took home the silver and bronze medals in the men's 200m event as they achieved two podium finishes for the United States, clocking 19.68s and 19.74s. Meanwhile, Knighton, too, was impressive but narrowly missed out on a medal-winning performance after coming fourth in Tokyo in a time of 19.93s.

Noah Lyles breaks Michael Johnson’s trials record ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics

A portrait of Olympic and IAAF World Championship Gold medal-winning 200 metres and 400 metres sprinter Michael Johnson of the United States on 20 June 2000 at Waco, Texas, United States. (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)

At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, Noah Lyles not only won the final of the men’s 200m but also smashed the long-standing Olympic trials record set by Michael Johnson in the 1996 edition.

Johnson established a then-new world record time by clocking a sensational 19.66s in the final of the men’s 200m at the 1996 United States Track and Field trials. He accomplished a comprehensive victory at the trials as his competitors, Jeff Williams and Michael Marsh, couldn’t go below the sub-20.00s mark, registering times of 20.03s and 20.04s, respectively.

The same year, Johnson displayed an incredible show at the Olympic Games in Atlanta where he achieved the 200m and 400m sprint doubles with a world record of 19.32s and an Olympic record of 43.49s.