The global marathon scene is lighting up as the Olympics are coming closer. The 2023 Chicago Marathon turned out to be a great success as several athletes competed to win and qualify for the Olympics. In fact, the winner of the prestigious event also made a new world record. Despite this, a US track and field legend believes that the event didn’t get the promotion it deserves. 

US sprinting legend Michael Johnson took to social media to criticize the way the Chicago Marathon was marketed. He said that the kind of coverage being given to the event diverts from the primary sport. Moreover, he also said that the hype for such an approach will just die down in the coming years, leaving the sport without nourishment.

Michael Johnson voices opinion on the Chicago Marathon promotion

The 2023 Chicago Marathon witnessed a stellar achievement by Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum breaking the world record. Naturally, this became the highlight of the event and the Olympics chose to use it as the headline to break the news. The time posted by Kiptum was a mere 35 seconds short of the two-hour barrier, which excited everyone. However, Michael Johnson wasn’t satisfied with how the Olympics chose to promote the event.

Taking to X, Johnson replied to a tweet by The Olympic Games and said, “Marathons are riding a wave of world record excitement that will probably continue the next couple years. But eventually, it’ll stop. Best to keep competition at the center of the narrative, and the records as a bonus.” The 8x world champion pointed out how the headline actually speaks nothing about the sport, but a new record. 

His argument states that a promotion like this would only entice the existing fans, without reeling new ones. This isn’t the first time the 4x Olympic gold medalist has lashed out at the way the organizers promoted something. Michael Johnson had a similar issue with the 2023 Eugene Diamond League. In fact, Johnson also ended up saying that all the credit for the event’s success goes to the players and not the organizers.

Johnson’s disagreement with World Athletics

Michael Johnson had also attacked World Athletics when it claimed that the 2023 Prefontaine Classic generated the best viewership numbers. While the global body pegged the Eugene event as the greatest in history, Michael Johnson said that the event wasn’t great because of the organizers. The retired US sprinter said that the marketing and promotion of the event was very lackluster. He also added that everything solely relied on the backs and star power of all the participating athletes in the event.

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While many thought that this was just a stray remark, Johnson returned with facts and figures later on. The American legend based his allegations on verified data and claimed that the Eugene event could have done far better. Johnson is very vocal about these issues and works as an analyst for several networks post his retirement. The promotion of the Chicago Marathon also rested on the star power of Kelvin Kiptum. Will Johnson’s views be taken into consideration by the Olympics before Paris? The answer will be known in another 290 days.

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