Dope cheats are like criminals

Michael Johnson, a former world and 200m, 400m Olympic champion, tells DNA that Usain Bolt is a rare and unique talent.

How sport has the changed since your retirement in 2000?
Not much. The world continues to change and everything, including sports, has to change to keep up with the changes in society. Unfortunately the sport has stayed the same, so it is being left behind.

How has your perspective about the sport changed since joining the BBC as a commentator?
My perspective has not changed. I was a fan of the sport when I was an athlete and still a fan now. Being a BBC commentator allows me to stay involved with the sport and to go to all the major events.

Why did you voluntarily return the 4x400m relay gold won at the 2000 Olympics after Antonio Pettigrew admitted he doped between 1997 and 2001?
I returned it because it was the right thing to do. It was very difficult because as I said, all of the championship and Olympic medals are special. But I am against cheating and it is unfair that the athletes who finished second did not get their opportunity to stand on the top of the medal stand and even more unfair that the team that finished fourth did not get to stand on the medal stand at all. I was annoyed by the fact that we could win the relay with any four clean athletes and really didn’t need Pettigrew who was using drugs.

Did you ever think US athletes, who are put through some of the stringent dope controls, considered as the best in the world, would be caught doping?
In the US we have some of the best law enforcement in the world and people still rob banks and commit other crimes. We have very stringent drug laws and people still use and sell drugs in the US at an alarming rate. So my point is where people want to take the risk for a possible reward they will try it. And it is because of the stringent dope controls that these athletes are caught. If it were not so stringent, then they may be getting away with it still.

US athletes like Marion Jones, Justin Gatlin and Tim Montgomery among others were caught doping. Your comments.

They are cheats and willing to cheat for money, fame, and success just as criminals are willing to steal or rob people for money.

With so many high profile US athletes caught in the doping net over the past few years, how will it affect the mindset of next generation of athletes?
I think smart parents teach their kids right from wrong. If my son wanted to participate in athletics, I would not be reluctant and if he chose to cheat I would feel that I didn’t do a good job as a parent teaching him right from wrong and teaching him that achieving something by cheating is not a real accomplishment.

It was not a great Olympics for US athletes. What does future hold out for them?
There have been times when the US didn’t perform as well as they usually do in the Olympics and then there were times — like 2004 and 1992 — when the US performed extremely well. There will be a time when the US will perform really well. There is no other place in the world that has so deep a talent pool and such a great talent development system as in the US.

Can you name athletes who have bright future?
Allison Felix, Walter Dix, Lashawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner, Tyson Gay, are all great athletes who will continue to have success.

You were pretty confident of Usain Bolt walking away with both 100-200 metres golds at Beijing.
He is a unique talent that you only see every 10-20 years.

Were you surprised that he did the double in world record time, especially the 200 metres?
No.  He is an incredible talent whose timing was perfect and he was at his best in Beijing. That’s when records are broken.

What does Bolt have to do to continue his good run in both 100 and 200 metres? Can we see some more miracles from him in years to come?
I think his best races were probably in Beijing because he was so motivated there. Now he is a gold medallist and world record holder very early in his career. He will have to find new challenges to motivate himself.

You ran both 200 metres and 400 metres. It is a rare and difficult combination, isn’t it?
I never put limits on myself and I knew that I was talented in both events, so I saw no reason to choose only one simply because it had never been done before. The only challenge was finding a way to train for both and I was able to figure out how to do that with my coach.

What is your advice to young athletes who want to emulate you?
My success was based on having been blessed with God-given talent. I worked hard and trained smart and I knew how to get the most out of my talent. My advice to young athletes is to figure out how to train to get the most out of their talent and then train hard consistently every day. Don’t just follow what other people did or what you are told. Figure out what works for you.

Which is the best moment of you career on and off the track?
The greatest moment in my life was the day my son Sebastian was born nine years ago. All of my championships and Olympic races were special and will always be special to me.

What  was the reason behind starting Michael Johnson Performance Centre?
The reason was to help other athletes achieve their personal best like I was able to do. Our training philosophy is based on the same philosophy that I developed for my career, which is based on smart, effective training that is specifically targeted to helping an athlete improve speed, strength, power, and stamina specifically for the event and position they play.