?Collegians That Make the US Team Struggle Later?: US Legend Opens Up on Unseen Issue of Track Athletes

The US Track and Field has always been a strong contender for podium finishes at every Olympics as well as World Championships. However, of late, former US track and field legend and 4x Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson believes that their chances at the world stage are getting affected by a simple factor. He makes this observation as a reply to a track and field enthusiast who was questioning the lightning speed for both men and women nowadays.

Michael Johnson replied to a certain Tony Torrance, who asked Johnson if the SEC (Southeastern Conference) and other meets require to make a difficulty level higher to prepare the athletes better for International meets.

US legend Michael Johnson cites a way for athletes to perform better

A tweet by Tony Torrance, an athletics fan, went, “Good morning Michael. Can I ask have the times and distances posted at the SEC and the big meets – make it difficult to be at your best at the trials and WC”. Instead of rejoicing about the recent records being set by sprinters at the national and domestic levels, Torrance raised an interesting query about how it might adversely affect their performance on the world stage.

He continued, “I am astonished at how quick the sprints for men and women are going”, reinstating that if the difficulty levels are increased for athletes, it might actually help them on the world stage. Michael Johnson replied, “No, fast times aren?t a problem. But the volume of races is”. Johnson, who won his 4 Olympic golds in 200 meters (twice), 400 meters, and 4×400 meters, believes that their speed is their own caliber. But the frequency of races nowadays is a problem.

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He continued, “It?s why some collegians that make the US team struggle later at World Champs or the Olympics. Their last good race was US Champs. Many will see this as a complaint and it?s not. Just an observation of facts”.

The exceptional track and field athletes who defied Johnson’s claim

Johnson’s comment, however, wasn’t met with a resounding affirmation by everyone. One person pointed out that Abby Steiner, a record holder in 200 meters at both the NCAA Division I Championships (21.80 seconds) and USA Championships (21.77 seconds), had a great outing at the World Championships last year. She came 5th in the 200 meters but won 2 gold medals in relay events. There’s also Sha’Carri Richardson who first burst into the scene with her record 10.75-second finish in 100 meters at the NCAA Division I Championships. She is now smashing records at the Miramar Invitational, following it up with her win at the Doha Diamond League in a record time of 10.76 seconds and winning fans all over.

However, Johnson still maintains his stance, wherein he believes lesser races with better quality will provide for better American athletes on the world stage. This is barring a few exceptions.

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