"Times have changed! Larry Rawson hasn't" - Michael Johnson reacts to veteran commentator covering his 50th Boston Marathon

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson recently reacted to the news of Larry Rawson completing his 50th Boston Marathon as a commentator. Johnson took to her X (formerly Twitter) to share a note of tribute for the track and field analyst.

Rawson, a former track and field athlete himself at Boston College has spent most of his time doing commentary and analysis for the track and field broadcasting shows. He is especially seen in the shows telecasted on ESPN and ESPN 2. Besides, Rawson has also served as a reporter for NBC and ESPN Sports Center.

After navigating a rich hustling career, Rawson is all set to provide his commentary for the Boston Marathon 2024 which will also be his 50th Boston Marathon as a commentator. Owing to this, the Boston Athletics Association presented Rawson with a special award as an honor of respect.

Michael Johnson, a former ESPN commentator himself reacted to this amazing feat of one of his former colleagues. He recalled the old times that he spent with Larry Rawson during his stint with ESPN in 2002.

"This reminded me of one of my first commentating roles. 2002 when Larry Rawson and I commentated on ALL of the track Grand Prix races for ESPN. Times have changed! Larry hasn’t! He loves this sport," wrote Johnson.

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Michael Johnson: All you need to know about the commentary career of the four-time Olympic gold medalist

After an illustrious career spanning more than a decade, Michael Johnson shifted his focus towards commentary and broadcasting. The Texas native has been a respected track and field commentator for the BBC.

He has been a part of various top-notch shows on the BBC such as the "Commonwealth Games line-up" and "Live from Glasgow." He has been a part of the BBC ever since the 2001 World Championships and has also been a part of the commentary team at various Olympics from 2004 to 2020.

During an interview with the Guardian, Michael Johnson opened up about the path that he had to navigate to become a sports commentator.

"As a commentator, I think I have ability but I've had to work hard at it. I've never modelled myself on anyone. But watching sport, there have been plenty of commentators I've found annoying. If anything, I've modelled myself on not being like them," Johnson said.

Besides BBC, the 56-year-old has also been an editorial column writer for some of the prominent newspapers of the USA such as The Times and The Daily Telegraph, and also had commentary stints with ESPN.