"Those marriages were called back for false start"-Michael Johnson recalls marrying in October amid Noah Lyles & Mondo Duplantis' engagement

Michael Johnson recently reflected on his marriage in October, coinciding with the recent engagements of Noah Lyles and Mondo Duplantis. He noted that his marriage, alongside fellow athletes Ato Bolden and Marion Jones ended prematurely, playfully comparing their experiences to a racing "false start."

Johnson married his first wife, entertainment reporter Kerry D’Oyen, on October 3, 1998, before parting their ways following the legendary sprinter's retirement from the sport. American former world champion Marion Jones married fellow shot putter C.J Hunter in October 1998. However, she later parted ways with the American coach in 2002.

Former Trinidadian Athlete and four-time Olympic medalist Ato Bolden also exchanged vows with singer Cassandra Mills in October 1998 before getting divorced in 2005.

Recently, following Paris Olympics medalists Lyles, Duplantis, Ryan Crouser, and Matthew Hudson-Smith's engagement, a fan highlighted the trend among athletes to get engaged and married in the month of October, writing:

"Runners love getting engaged and married in October."

Reacting to the comment, Micahel Johnson drew parallels to his and his peers' wedding and wrote,

"Fun fact. Not engaged, but me, Ato Bolden, and Marion Jones (to shot putter CJ Hunter) all got married on the same day in October 1998. All of those marriages were called back for a false start!"

"Noah Lyles is the fastest" - Michael Johnson opens up on his wish to get the Paris Olympics gold medalist signed for Grand Slam Track

Michael Johnson recently added Noah Lyes to his dream lineup for the Grand Slam Track.

Lyles achieved the extraordinary feat of clinching three gold medals at the 2023 World Championships in 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay events. He continued to solidify his prospects at the Paris Games by securing a gold and a bronze medal in 100m and 200m, respectively, following which Johnson expressed his desire to get Lyles on board.

"We are looking for the fastest, and Noah is certainly one of those I mean, Noah is the fastest," Michael Johnson said.

"So, those sorts of people, Noah Lyles, Julien Alfred- the 100m champion, Gabby Thomas, 200m champion. Those are the sorts of people, Sydney, who's the world record holder ofcourse and Cole Hocker, who won a mile at the Olympics. So, those sorts of athletes, people really want to be part of this league. We also want and need their rivals as well, not just them by themselves. They need to be challenged."

The first edition of Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track will kick off in April 2025.