Sean WallaceJones for IAAF
19 September 2000 – Sydney – Michael Johnson is fighting fit and the destination of the Waco Express is the history books.
For Johnson has a driving aim here in Sydney: become the first man in history to win back-to-back gold in the 400 metres. And he’s not excluding that there will be a world record broken in the process, or that he will follow the individual gold with another in the 4x400 metre relay.
Johnson says that his form is as good as it has ever been and shrugs off any worries about the persistent minor Achilles problems he has experienced: "My Achilles has always bothered me, but it’s something that I have to stay on top of.
"I took a week off after Sacramento and I have run a couple of 400s since then in Europe. I ran 44.46 and 44.07 – that’s not a time you run when you’re injured."
Johnson went into last year’s IAAF World Championships in Seville saying he felt good and had been running some pretty fast times in practice: times that told him that he could run a record, which of course he did with his clocking of 43.18. He is feeling better still this year.
"I have been having some good practice runs. Last week before I came and since I have been here, the times have been better than last year," he affirms.
"I’m not going to say too much and get you all too excited, ‘cos then you’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. The first objective here is to win and I don’t want you to be disappointed if there isn’t a record."
But this is also going to be Johnson’s last Olympics and he wants to get into the history books. What better way than to win the 400 gold and set a new record at the same time?
"The idea of making history is definitely part of my motivation," he admits.
"I’m in shape right now to run a sub-43 time. Anyway, it has to be soon, I’m not getting any younger!
"If everything is right, it could be here. I always do well at major championships and I would like to make the 400 record as difficult to break as everyone says my record in the 200 is."
Michael Johnson is pretty positive, too, about the possibility of a clean sweep for the United States in the 400m: "The Harrison twins are running really well and Antonio Pettigrew can do great things if the race is right for him. Alvin has run 44.18 and he’s not here to run for a silver medal!"
Johnson feels that the US has a great chance of taking the 4x400m relay gold too: "with the Harrisons and Angelo Taylor, we have a great team."
Of course, they will not benefit from the 24 carat gold shoes that Michael will be wearing. The latest development from Johnson’s shoe company, Nike, will incorporate miniature globules of real 24 carat gold, designed to give the shoes increased flexibility and support in the curves. Three years' work have gone into ensuring that the Waco Express stays on the rails at whatever speed those piston like legs can push him.
