Michael Johnson quotes

Michael Johnson is an American former sprinter, renowned for his remarkable speed and distinctive upright running style. Multiple Olympic and World Championship gold medals made him one of the most decorated track athletes in history. He set world records in both the 200 meters and 400 meters, achievements that cemented his legacy in athletics. Here are 17 of his quotes:

The only one who can beat me is me.

Michael Johnson

Rivalries don't necessarily mean races being close at major championships. I had a rivalry with Butch Reynolds for many years. I won all the races, but Butch was the world record holder before I came into the sport, he was extremely talented and he was the only other man running 43 seconds.

Michael Johnson

Difficult as it was to hear, slavery has benefited descendants like me - I believe there is a superior athletic gene in us.

Michael Johnson

The mind is absolutely instrumental in achieving results, even for athletes. Sports psychology is a very small part, but it's extremely important when you're winning and losing races by hundredths and even thousandths of a second.

Michael Johnson

I always wanted to be a sprinter.

Michael Johnson

They think because I'm small, they can do what they want to do to me. But I'm not weak. If I lower my shoulder and they lower they're shoulder, they're going to go down.

Michael Johnson

I don't always do a lot of predicting, but, when I get a really strong feeling about something, I will tell people.

Michael Johnson

As an athlete, I was never really comfortable with being a celebrity.

Michael Johnson

I've had to learn that not everybody does things my way. But I do expect the absolute best of everyone around me, and I'm disappointed when people don't expect that of themselves.

Michael Johnson

One of the main techniques I used was focusing on the goal and visualising myself competing in the race before the race started.

Michael Johnson

You can't control what the other athlete is going to do; you can't control anything except for your competition and how you execute the race or how you execute the task.

Michael Johnson

There's a complete difference between training for a specific event and goal and just training.

Michael Johnson

All my life I believed I became an athlete through my own determination, but it's impossible to think that being descended from slaves hasn't left an imprint through the generations.

Michael Johnson

As an athlete, I'd average four hours a day. It doesn't sound like a lot when some people say they're training for 10 hours, but theirs includes lunch, massage and breaks. My four hours was packed with work.

Michael Johnson

I work hard to improve myself as a person - as a father, as a husband, as a manager. I'm always on that mission.

Michael Johnson