“Doping Defense a Bit Shaky”:US Olympic Legend Drops Controversial Take Over Carl Lewis’ Iconic Clip

Former Olympian and track and field legend Michael Johnson is known for his efforts for the betterment of the sport. His views on developing the infrastructure of the game, as well as calls for better treatment of the athletes, have garnered widespread support. Now, Johnson has taken to social media to amplify his views using an interview of another track and field icon, Carl Lewis.

Lewis is one of the most decorated Olympic athletes in the world. With 9 golds to his name, Lewis is easily one of the most celebrated names in the country. While Lewis’ career was marred with doping allegations, his vocal protests about how athletes are treated by tournament organizers resonated with millions of fans around the globe. In his latest post, Michael Johnson falls back to the years-old interview by Lewis to talk about how certain things continue to plague track and field.

Michael Johnson shares views on Lewis’ statements

In the interview shared by Michael Johnson on X, formerly Twitter, Lewis can be heard touching on key issues in the track and field realm. Lewis talks about professionalism and treatment of athletes as well as sharing views on doping and his general cynicism. “Very interesting comments from Carl“, wrote Johnson in his post.

Still, Johnson doesn’t seem entirely convinced by what Carl says to elevate the sport for everyone involved. “Effort to raise the sport for all athletes and not just himself kind of questionable“, wrote the four-time gold Olympic gold winner in the post. In the interview, Lewis spoke of how the athletes were treated in Europe and how he took a hard stand against it. But Johnson isn’t one to be persuaded.

While Johnson seemed to consider Lewis’ statements addressing his doping incident a bit shaky, even he had to agree with the latter’s opinions in some cases. Johnson seems to be on the same page as Lewis when it comes to amateurism. Amateurism is the practice where athletes are not given any pay for their efforts and are not considered to be entitled to professional pay. Johnson acknowledged that Lewis’ statements about how amateurism is crippling the industry are still true despite the interview being two decades old. “Perspective on the amateurism of track 100% and still true!“, posited Johnson.

Johnson, still reeling from his stroke, advises others to stay safe

While Johnson dedicated his life to track and field, he rarely condones any random acts. Months ago, as a French fireman attempted to set a new world record in a 100m sprint while being on fire, Johnson claimed people need to stop risking their lives in the name of records.

Read more: Fresh Controversy Starts War in Track World as US Star Gets Involved With a Striking Opinion

Michael Johnson suffered a heart stroke in 2018 at the age of 50 that left him partially paralyzed. However, the Olympic icon has been recovering strongly and looks to continue his work to help the athletes’ condition get better.

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