Three-time Olympian and an icon, Michael Johnson says the Jamaican can reach even greater heights...Excerpts from a tete-a-tete with Gautam Sheth
Usain Bolt has broken his own records again, is he real?
Yes. No one thought the records would be broken so soon. He is an incredible athlete and at this young age if he is able to do what he is doing, imagine what can he do at his peak!
Do you think the 100m and 200m combination is a difficult one?
It is one of the most natural combinations since early 1900s. Several world champions have come out of it and double Olympic medalists have come out of it. It is shocking the way he is breaking the WRs in such quick time.
Do you think Bolt can break the 400m WR too?
It is definitely possible, especially for him since he has started very early in his life. He has the talent, the height and the strides to do that. And already at such an early age he has broken the 200m and 100m records and he has done everything that is humanly possible in these events, so it is logical now that he moves to 400.
Bolt has long strides, you broke records with smaller strides and an upright stance. Which one do you think is more effective?
This is something that comes naturally to an athlete. Bolt is tall and he would have longer strides. Not all athletes are 6ft 6in so they would rely on the style that comes naturally to them. Therefore, an athlete can’t say that I am going to go out and win like Usain Bolt because you are not Usain Bolt. People should not even imitate what he has done or for that matter even what I or any other athletes have done. You have to use god’s gift, the assets that you have to the best of your abilities. That’s what I was able to do and he is able to do it better. It is not that you go out and find some magic. It’s what you have and how you make the most of it.
What about your son Sebastien, does he have any inclinations towards your sport?
My son would be whatever he wants to be. He doesn’t necessarily have to do what I did. Just because I was interested in sports doesn’t mean that he too should love it. That may actually mean he isn’t interested, but that is fine. People try to find out what they want to do in life and that’s how people find what they actually love. No one in my family was an athlete, but my father didn’t push me to be someone else otherwise I wouldn’t have been the world record holder or an Olympic medallist.
In Olympic bidding, Team US looked the strongest and Chicago getting the 2014 Games was a mere formality...what went wrong?
I think the US did understand how to lobby for the IOC and its members for the bid and there was a strong bid from Chicago and we thought that was enough. But it wasn’t. In a situation where you have people who vote, you have to understand the politics of that. I think the Chicago bidding committee didn’t understand the politics of the process. Not to take away from Rio who also had an equally strong bid. Now it is a great opportunity for the South Americans to play host for the first time in the history of Olympics. They obviously did a very good job and have to be commended for their effort. It is a great opportunity even for the Games to be in South America.
What do you make out of Andre Agassi’s confession?
I think it is very unfortunate and even I am disappointed too. An athlete who has played for such a long time can cheat. But from what I understand, he got into this because of personal issues, he was hurt and wasn’t very happy when he did that. It is bad for him. He always was happy on the court and enjoyed his success too. Hopefully after this he is happy with his wife and kids. Probably this confession has brought him happiness.
Is it difficult to check doping cheats in tennis?
I don’t know how the tennis guys are dealing with the situation. It is different in athletics. So I am not sure if I can comment on this sport.
Are you in touch with Antonio Pettigrew?
I haven’t spoken to him at all.
You have been to India. What are your impressions of this country?
There is a very strong culture and tradition. It has one of the most incredible mix of cultures.
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