media_artricles :: 2013

Michael Johnson to visit TT next week

RETIRED famed United States athlete, Michael Johnson will be in Trinidad next week from January 29-31, 2013.

Having committed to sponsoring the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Teams of 2012 and 2016, Bp Trinidad and Tobago (bptt), as part of its sponsorship programme and the National Olympic Committee will be host Johnson, the multiple Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, on a three-day visit to TT.

He will meet with Larry Romany, head of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) to offer opportunities to TT athletes to train at his Michael Johnson Performance (MJP) world class training facility in Texas, United States.

The MJP provides specialised training, physical therapy, knowledge of injury prevention, remote coaching and biochemical analysis for professional athletes and teams.

Michalan Joseph, Challenger, Communications and External Affairs at bptt stated: “Our national athletes will have the opportunity to attend MJP to improve their professional development as well as the sporting scope for Trinidad and Tobago. Our coaches will also benefit from Michael Johnson’s visit in sharing expertise gained with athletes across the country.”

Forty-five-year-old Johnson won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships gold medals, and is thus tied with Carl Lewis for the most gold medals won by any runner in history.

He currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and the world’s best time at the 300 metres. He is the only male athlete in history to win both the 200 and 400 metre events at the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Johnson is also the only man to successfully defend his Olympic title in the 400 m.

Johnson was noted for his unique running style. His stiff upright stance and very short steps defied the conventional wisdom stating that a high knee lift was essential for maximum speed.

As of 2012, Johnson holds 13 of the top 100 times for the 200 meters and 27 of the top 100 times for the 400 meters. Of those, he holds 14 of the top 25 times for the 400 metres. He broke 44 seconds for the 400 metres twenty-two times, more than twice as many as any other athlete

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