Amazing Moments in Olympic History: Michael Johnson

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Michael Johnson wowed the world when he won both the 200-meter and 400-meter races at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Since then he still remains the only man to have won both races in one Games.

When he was in high school, Johnson took a few years to mature before he became the athlete that he is known as today. During his senior year, he was the best sprinter in the city of Dallas, but he was only the second-best sprinter in the state of Texas. He was a good runner, but his coaches and family never thought he'd be competing at the Olympic level.

The Dallas native grew up with four siblings, and Johnson's parents referred to him as their "nerdy son." But he set a goal for himself to be an Olympic champion and to be the fastest man in the world. From 1987 to 1990 he ran for the track team during his time as a student at Baylor University in Waco, Tex., where he still maintains or shares six school records.

Two years after graduating from college, Johnson competed in the 200-meter event and the 4x400-meter relay at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Less than two weeks before the Opening Ceremony, he picked up food poisoning, which affected his performance during the Games. Despite winning gold with the relay team, he didn't make it past the semifinals in the 200-meter, and he broke down in tears after his loss.

In 1994, Johnson was the top contender in both the 200-meter and 400-meter events for the third time. He dominated all of his 400-meter events and placed first at the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. He won his first Jesse Owens Award, and he collected the award again in 1995 and 1996.

The 1996 Games marked many milestones: It was the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games, and it was where Johnson went down in history capturing double gold. On July 29 the sprinter broke an Olympic record for the 400-meter race with a time of 43.49 seconds. Three days later he broke the 17-year-old world record for the 200-meter race with a time of 19.32 seconds.

Following the Games, Johnson had a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the National Championships in 1997, but he still managed to defend his title in the 400-meter event at the World Championships. Two years later at the World Championships, he ran the 400-meter in 43.18 seconds, breaking the 11-year-old world record.

Johnson made his third Olympic appearance at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He acquired a consecutive gold medal in the 400-meter event and became the first male to accomplish that feat. He retired from the sport in 2001. When he was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame three years later, his 200-meter accomplishment was honored as the best track and field occurrence during the past 25 years.

Throughout his career, the now 41-year-old obtained four Olympic gold medals and nine World Championship golds, leaving him to be remembered as "the world's fastest human" and the greatest all-around sprinter of all time.

"Amazing Moments in Olympic History" will be published every Wednesday on teamusa.org.  Check back weekly to see more landmark achievements and incredible feats in the history of Team USA and the Olympic Movement.