One of the most distinctive sprinters in the history of track and field with his powerful,
upright stride pattern, Michael is widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all
time. Four times an Olympic champion and eight times a world champion, he piled up a
career total of 12 Olympic and World Championship gold medals by the time he retired
from competition after the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Between 1990 and 1997, he
created a remarkable sequence of 58 consecutive wins over 400 meters.
He also strung together a winning streak of 32 races over 200 meters between 1990
and 1992. He is the only person to hold both the 200 meters and 400 meters world
records and is the only male athlete to defend successfully the Olympic 400 meters
crown.
His first Olympic gold came in Barcelona in 1992 when he was a member of the
winning American 4 x 400 meters relay team. Four years later in 1996 at Atlanta, he
became the only athlete in more than 100 years of Olympic history to clinch the double
over both 200 and 400 meters at the same Games. He set a world record with his time
of 19.32 seconds in the 200 meters.
At the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Michael shattered the 11-year-old 400
meters world record of Butch Reynolds when he clocked 43.18 seconds – his fourth
successive title over the distance. He also added gold in the 4 x 400 meters relay in
Seville, which took him to a career total of eight World Championship gold medals.
At the age of 32, he rounded off his distinguished Olympic career with his fourth and
fifth gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Games, winning the 400 meters and being part of
the winning American 4 x 400 meters relay team. In 2008, Michael, always a staunch
advocate of zero tolerance for drug cheats, announced that he was returning the gold
medal from that relay, when one of the members of that relay admitted to doping.
Michael retired from competition as world-record holder over both 200 and 400 meters,
a four time Olympic Champion and eight time World Champion. Today he is a multiple
award winning television commentator for BBC and a documentary presenter. After
leaving the track Michael started Michael Johnson Performance with a mission of
helping other athletes reach their full athletic potential. As CEO and founder, Michael
led MJP to become a global leader in sports performance training with training
operations and clients throughout the world. Michael has also excelled as a keynote
speaker. His appeal is global, taking him to all corners of the world to motivate and
inspire employees and leaders of some of the world’s leading corporations. An
entrepreneur at heart, in his latest venture, xC, Michael brings together expert
coaching, behavioral science, and deep tech to solve the fitness motivation problem.
Speaker Topics:
- Motivation
- Goal setting
- Performance under pressure
- Overcoming obstacles
- Culture
