Sydney: It was Michael Johnson's birthday on September 13, but the day virtually did not exist for the man expected to be the superstar of the Sydney Games. Why? Because his travel from the US to Sydney, which began on Tuesday September 12 will end in Sydney on Thursday September 14, the crossing of the international dateline swallowing what to him would have been his 32nd birthday.
"I'm excited and ready to get to Sydney," Johnson said before he boarded the aircraft. "The only downside to leaving on the 12th is that I arrive on the 14th and my birthday is on the 13th. So to make up for missing it, I'll celebrate on both sides. Or maybe since I miss my birthday, I'll still be 32 when I arrive in Sydney," he said.
"I'm excited and ready to get started competing," the athlete they have nicknamed Superman said. "I've only been home for a week, but it was nice to get home to see my three-month-old son, older son Sebastian, and wife, Kerry."
Johnson said he spent the week before departing for Sydney taking Sebastian to his four-month doctor's appointment, shopping for warm clothes for him for Sydney, unpacking and repacking his bag, and, of course, working out.
"Part of what's made it (the last few weeks) really good is being home and spending more time at home this summer than I normally would, so I have been able to spend more time with Kerry and with Sebastian. So that's been fun just hanging around with him at the house and not being gone, so I've enjoyed that.
"He's just growing and starting to develop a little personality, so it's been fun to watch that and just spend time with him. It's been great. And then they'll join me in Sydney later on. So everything is working out pretty well. I do miss them a lot, but I'll see them soon," he said.
"Training has gone well, and we'll continue training in Sydney. There's lots of talk about whether I will break the world record (43.18) again in Sydney," he stated.
But Johnson refuses to put pressure on himself: "I know I'm ready to run 42 seconds, and I run best at the major championships, but records are hard to break and require many things to fall into place just right. Like the weather. So we'll just have to see. I won't be disappointed if I don't break it again, because I just want to win, and I already hold the world record. To do it again would be a great bonus. The Olympics are about winning, not breaking records."
After the US trials, in which he suffered a cramp in his hamstring in the 200-meter final, Johnson took a week off just rehabbing, doing a lot of deep-tissue massage and ultrasound. "Most people have just been concerned with the injury and hopefully that it wasn't too serious, which it wasn't," Johnson said.
"So at this point, hopefully everyone will just get focused on that fact and get past that, because there's nothing really to be concerned about at this point. We've got it back, got it back to 100 per cent strength, and so now I'm just focused on the Olympics and winning the 400," the champion athlete said.
Everyone who witnessed Michael Johnson's 200-metre victory at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics remembers the gold shoes. The world-record time: 19.32, nearly four-tenths of a second faster than anyone else in history. But it didn't end there. Johnson also won the 400 metres in Atlanta, completing the first men's 200/ 400 "double" in Olympic history.
Johnson has an unconventional sprinting form that has been likened to that of Jesse Owens. Johnson's former high school coach, Joel Ezar, says, "He runs like a statue, straight up. They say his feet never leave the ground."
Johnson's current coach, Clyde Hart explains, "Foot placement is a real key to speed. Many athletes place a foot slightly in front of their centre of gravity and that actually causes a blocking effect. Michael may give up a little in stride length but he never stops moving and his feet form nearly a complete circle."
Johnson's career will come a full circle if he can go out in a blaze of glory with a successful defence of his 400m Olympic gold and become the first man to run the distance in 42 seconds.
Professional Management Group
"I'm excited and ready to get to Sydney," Johnson said before he boarded the aircraft. "The only downside to leaving on the 12th is that I arrive on the 14th and my birthday is on the 13th. So to make up for missing it, I'll celebrate on both sides. Or maybe since I miss my birthday, I'll still be 32 when I arrive in Sydney," he said.
"I'm excited and ready to get started competing," the athlete they have nicknamed Superman said. "I've only been home for a week, but it was nice to get home to see my three-month-old son, older son Sebastian, and wife, Kerry."
Johnson said he spent the week before departing for Sydney taking Sebastian to his four-month doctor's appointment, shopping for warm clothes for him for Sydney, unpacking and repacking his bag, and, of course, working out.
"Part of what's made it (the last few weeks) really good is being home and spending more time at home this summer than I normally would, so I have been able to spend more time with Kerry and with Sebastian. So that's been fun just hanging around with him at the house and not being gone, so I've enjoyed that.
"He's just growing and starting to develop a little personality, so it's been fun to watch that and just spend time with him. It's been great. And then they'll join me in Sydney later on. So everything is working out pretty well. I do miss them a lot, but I'll see them soon," he said.
"Training has gone well, and we'll continue training in Sydney. There's lots of talk about whether I will break the world record (43.18) again in Sydney," he stated.
But Johnson refuses to put pressure on himself: "I know I'm ready to run 42 seconds, and I run best at the major championships, but records are hard to break and require many things to fall into place just right. Like the weather. So we'll just have to see. I won't be disappointed if I don't break it again, because I just want to win, and I already hold the world record. To do it again would be a great bonus. The Olympics are about winning, not breaking records."
After the US trials, in which he suffered a cramp in his hamstring in the 200-meter final, Johnson took a week off just rehabbing, doing a lot of deep-tissue massage and ultrasound. "Most people have just been concerned with the injury and hopefully that it wasn't too serious, which it wasn't," Johnson said.
"So at this point, hopefully everyone will just get focused on that fact and get past that, because there's nothing really to be concerned about at this point. We've got it back, got it back to 100 per cent strength, and so now I'm just focused on the Olympics and winning the 400," the champion athlete said.
Everyone who witnessed Michael Johnson's 200-metre victory at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics remembers the gold shoes. The world-record time: 19.32, nearly four-tenths of a second faster than anyone else in history. But it didn't end there. Johnson also won the 400 metres in Atlanta, completing the first men's 200/ 400 "double" in Olympic history.
Johnson has an unconventional sprinting form that has been likened to that of Jesse Owens. Johnson's former high school coach, Joel Ezar, says, "He runs like a statue, straight up. They say his feet never leave the ground."
Johnson's current coach, Clyde Hart explains, "Foot placement is a real key to speed. Many athletes place a foot slightly in front of their centre of gravity and that actually causes a blocking effect. Michael may give up a little in stride length but he never stops moving and his feet form nearly a complete circle."
Johnson's career will come a full circle if he can go out in a blaze of glory with a successful defence of his 400m Olympic gold and become the first man to run the distance in 42 seconds.
Professional Management Group
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