“I Really Wanted To”- American Track and Field Legend Michael Johnson Reveals His Lifelong Athletic Dream

When it comes to versatility in the field, it is only a few athletes who can gloat deservingly. And surely, Olympic legend Michael Johnson is one of those. Johnson is a 4-time Olympic gold medalist. Not only did he run the 200m, but he made a mark in the 400m races as well. Athletes like Fred Kerley and Michael Norman, who run multiple events today, seek inspiration from Michael.

An 8-time World Champion, Johnson created world records in both 200m and 400m. Notably, at the 1996 Olympics, Johnson won the gold medal in both the 200 and 400m events. Exhibiting consistency throughout his career, Johnson was regarded as one of the most versatile athletes ever.

Reliving the good old days, Michael recently revealed how he really wanted to run 100m as well. Not to mention, the 100m is the most popular event in the history of the Olympics and athletics. However, it didn’t happen for the now 54-year-old athlete.

Michael Johnson talks about his athletic dream

Throughout his career, Johnson ran the 200 and the 400 meters. Notably, he also held the record for the fastest 300 meters at one point. However, he never got to run the 100m.

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In a recent post, Johnson was named under the “Best Combinations” for the three athletic events- the 100m, the 200m, and the 400m race. He revealed that he always wanted to run the 100m, but it never happened.

“I really wanted to run sub 10, but never dedicated a season to it,” said Johnson. However, his main goal was the Olympic gold medal and setting multiple world records. And he successfully attained both. When he did run 100m, his own personal best was 10.09 seconds.

The athlete revealed that his dream was to run the 9.9. Even though this didn’t happen, he still created other significant records.

Johnson reveals how long it took for him to set world records

In the same post, Michael revealed that it took him years to achieve the numbers he boasts of today. His own personal best is 19.32 in the 200m and 43.18 in the 400m.

“It took 6 & 10 years to get those WR,” he wrote on Twitter.

The post also named Fred Kerly, Michael Norman, and Wayde van Niekerk as other great versatile athletes, who run in multiple events themselves. If the combined total time of the three events is to be seen, it is Michael who holds the lowest time, with 72.59 seconds.

WATCH: Fred Kerley Beats Rival Michael Norman to Clinch the 200 m Title at USATF Golden Games 2022