Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson
One of the best track and field athletes in history, he won four Olympic gold medals and eight more World Championship gold medals.
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRunner
Date of Birth13 September 1967
CityDallas, TX
CountryUnited States of America
years careers gold
I had already been into my professional career for six years and had not won an individual gold medal at the Olympics. There was a tremendous amount of pressure going into 1996 to get it done.
athlete average lunch
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.
husband father hard-work
I work hard to improve myself as a person - as a father, as a husband, as a manager. I'm always on that mission.
motivation self discipline
The basis of self-discipline: Don't allow the edges to blur.
teacher strong motivation
I believe that it is better to learn from the diverse people around us than to try in vain to emulate them, better to be a teacher than a role model. As strong as my legs are, it is my mind that has made me a champion.
motivation inspiration way
You owe it to yourself to find your own unorthodox way of succeeding, or sometimes, just surviving.
motivation inspiration hard-work
(Natural Talent + Opportunity) Hard Work = Success
mind traveller know-how
A good traveller is one who knows how to travel with the mind.
be-who-you-are situation who-you-are
Be who you are in every situation.
eye quality negative
Protect your good image from the eyes of negative viewers, who may look at your good appearance with an ugly fiendish eye, and ruin your positive qualities with their chemical infested tongues.
determination athlete thinking
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.
athlete comfortable
As an athlete, I was never really comfortable with being a celebrity.
wanted sprinters
I always wanted to be a sprinter.
spare
We can spare one on (the day shift), ... But when we're called, we'll go.