First in the World Athletics Championships, then in the Zurich Diamond League, American sprinting icon, Noah Lyles clinched victory and stood atop the podium. However, after giving back-to-back staunch performances, the 26-year-old decided to end his 2023 sprinting spree. After taking home another triumph on the Swiss tracks, the athlete asserted that he would not be defending his title in Eugene.

However, following the disappointing update from Lyles, an interesting fact about track and field legend, Michael Johnson recently resurfaced and took the spotlight. Years before Noah Lyles, a legend in the world of athletics representing the United States, Michael Johnson, was known to storm through the 200- and 400-meter tracks. Johnson who is currently working as an advocate for track and field rights, is known for his winning spree on the tracks. And after the recent news of Noah Lyles ending his season, an interesting achievement of the legend has come to light.

Staunch achievement of Michael Johnson

On Saturday, Track Spice posted an interesting fact regarding Michael Johnson on Twitter alongside the sprinter’s iconic photo of holding his golden shoes with two gold medals dangling around his neck after his victory at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

According to the tweet captioned “Friday Facts”, the US sprinter “Michael Johnson, in his professional career, has never received a silver or bronze; they were all golds.”

Johnson, who is considered a GOAT in the world of athletics track and field, has participated in three Olympic Games (1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney) in his career and grabbed four golds for the United States on the 200- and 400-meter tracks.

To add more glory to his staunch career, the athlete has also claimed eight wins in the World Athletics Championship. Interestingly, the athlete goes by the username ‘MJgold’, representing his gold medal winning spree.

Interestingly, till Johnson’s retirement from the games in 2008, the 200- and 400-meter races were dominated by the United States. Now, nearly 15 years later, the newly crowned world champion Noah Lyles has decided to bring back the glory of the United States as he clinched multitude of accolades in the 2023 season. In 2022, Lyles even managed to break Michael Johnson’s record.

Noah Lyles stomps over Michael Johnson’s world record

In the 2022 World track and field Championship, Noah Lyles surpassed Michael Johnson’s record.

In Hayward Field, Eugene, Lyles gave one of his best performances to complete the 200-meter track in 19.31 seconds, breaking Johnson’s record of 19.32 set in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. After the win, Lyles, who had been aiming to break the record for quite some time, told the media, “All me and my coach have been talking about is, We’re going after that record.”

Also read: Delighted Noah Lyles Fires Up Spikes for Glory After Roger Federer Makes a Surprise Appearance at Zurich Diamond League 2023

In essence, despite the disappointing news, both Noah Lyles and Michael Johnson have played a crucial role in raising the bar of the United States in Athletics.

Watch this story: Witness the Genesis of the Legend of Noah Lyles: The Finish You Know, the Start You Don’t