Michael Johnson - “The moment of truth comes and passes just like that” - Financial Times Weekend Magazine
Sprinting with the fastest man in history. By Mark Bailey
The four-time Olympic sprint champion Michael Johnson begins our lesson in how to run faster with an unexpected discussion about cars and cowboys. “If you want your car to go faster, you push the accelerator,” says Johnson. At 47, he is still lean and athletic in a tracksuit. “When you sprint, think of your arms as your accelerators. Your arms drive your legs, not the other way round.”
I had assumed any sprint class would focus on leg movements but Johnson explains that arm drives are an important catalyst for human locomotion. “Do you ever watch Westerns? Imagine you are pulling two guns out of their holsters. You’ve got to be quick. If you pull out those guns too slowly you are going to get shot.”
I sprint up the spongy red track, drawing an endless arsenal of imaginary weapons from imaginary holsters. My legs frantically follow. “Your arms are OK going forwards but you need more backwards force for momentum,” declares Johnson. His deep voice and precise enunciation seem to infuse his every comment with authority — something that has clearly helped him in his much-lauded sideline as a BBC television pundit. “Imagine looking down on yourself from above. Your arms are moving to the left and right, which is forcing your body in the wrong directions. The quickest way from A to B is a straight line so draw those guns from the holsters nice and straight.”
The American is revered as one of the quickest draws in the history of athletics. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics he became the first and only man to win the 200m and 400m double. Despite stumbling out of the blocks and pulling a hamstring near the finish, he set a 200m world record of 19.32 seconds that lasted for 12 years before it was broken by Usain Bolt in 2008. Remarkably, his 400m world record of 43.18 seconds, established in 1999, still stands today.
An eight-time world champion, Johnson was famous for his unusual technique, based on a powerful upright posture and short, economical strides. “Efficient technique is efficient technique,” he explains. “If there are eight people in a race and seven are running one way and one is running differently, I would be that one. People think that what the majority do is right but that isn’t necessarily the case. My technique was more efficient but nobody had seen it before.”
Having retired in 2001, Johnson now combines his TV work with lecturing at corporate functions and running Michael Johnson Performance, an athletics training facility where he coaches youth and professional athletes. It has centres in Dallas and St George’s Park in Staffordshire, home of the England football team. He lives in California, with his wife Armine Shamiryan, a chef, and Sebastian, his 14-year-old son from his first marriage, but is visiting the UK for some coaching and speaking engagements.
In business there are pressure-filled moments but they don’t typically unfold in 19 seconds with the whole world watching. When we meet, Johnson’s Staffordshire track is being used by the England football team, so our lesson is taking place at the Shobnall Leisure Complex, about 10 miles away.
Keen to demonstrate the importance of muscular power to a sprinter, he asks me to perform a series of 30m sprints. “Power equals speed,” he explains. “When you sprint, you push yourself forwards because of the power you drive into the track. The more force you put in, the faster you go.”
He notices that my passion for cycling has restricted my leg mobility. “You want to pedal,” he says, chuckling at my shrunken steps. “Try to lift your knees higher. The more you lift your knees, the more power you put into the track. Aim to push down with one leg and pull up with the other.” I try again. “Now we’re talking. See? Progress already.”
Johnson grew up in Dallas, Texas, as the youngest of five children. His father Paul, a truck driver, and mother Ruby, a schoolteacher, encouraged a fierce work ethic. As a young athlete he worked $3-per-hour shifts in Toys R Us but by the end of his career he commanded race appearance fees of up to $500,000. It is hard to comprehend how an Olympic sprinter handles the pressure of a race day, when years of training, sacrifices, dedication and pain are concentrated into one tiny fragment in time. “The best athletes accept that the moment of truth comes and passes just like that,” says Johnson. “When you embrace that idea your preparation becomes everything because it is all you have. Every single day was an opportunity for me to be better prepared for those 19 or 43 seconds. I am proud of my world records, not because they stood for so long but because I know what it took for me to actually break them.”
As an athlete Johnson often seemed stern and unapproachable but in person he is wry and jovial. When we try a sprint start together I get told off for cheating. “Hey, hey, hey,” he barks, playfully tapping my fingers, which are encroaching over the start line. He then shows me a trick he used to stay relaxed during races. “It sounds counter-intuitive because sprinting is highly ballistic but you have to be relaxed. People tend to tense up but if your muscles are tight your arms will come across your body and you won’t be as fast. You don’t want to clench your fists or run with your fingers out so I would rest my thumb gently on my forefinger, which gives me just the right amount of relaxation and focus.”
He says his move into corporate and motivational speaking was more daunting. “It was a challenge but I wasn’t a complete beginner. I studied business at Baylor University, I run my own performance centres, and being an individual track athlete is a lot like running your own business as you’re hiring people, firing people and setting programmes. In business there are pressure-filled moments but they don’t typically unfold in 19 seconds with the whole world watching. The difference is that I am now doing things that I am not necessarily gifted to do. I did not realise how fortunate I was until I retired but, honestly, everybody adapts.”
Johnson says his transition to television punditry was much more natural. His forensic analysis and trenchant opinions earned him the 2003 sports pundit of the year award from the Royal Television Society. “I probably have a natural knack for punditry but I worked hard at it. I prepare diligently and I take my responsibility to the viewer seriously. I want to provide genuine insight and encourage people to look at what they see in a new light.”
As we head to the changing room, I’m surprised to hear how mellow Johnson’s pursuits are these days. “My wife is a chef so we eat a lot and entertain our friends. I run but just to stay in shape. And I enjoy spending time with my son, who is a keen fencer. I don’t know anything about fencing but I love supporting him.” Then a smile flashes across his face. “I am a big car enthusiast too. I’ve got a McLaren MP4-12C and a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren which I take to the racetrack and try to get faster. I’m not a thrill-seeker but I do like speed.”
(C) The FT
Link: https://www.ft.com/content/68d701fc-7b3d-11e4-87d4-00144feabdc0