Track & Field

What did it mean to you to break Pietro Mennea's  17 year-old 19.72 second 200 m in '96?

Breaking Mennea's 17-year-old record: The chase, the triumph, and the new standard

What did it mean to break Pietro Mennea's 17-year-old 200 meter world record in 1996? It was something I had been chasing for six years at that point. When I first started my professional career, I demonstrated to myself and the world that I was capable of breaking that world record. And I finally did it in 1996 after coming very close for many years leading up to that. It was very special at the time as well because it was at the time the oldest record in the record books on the male side of track and field. So that record had been standing for a very long time. I always thought the record was soft. I thought that we should be running much faster. It was 19.72 at the time. And I thought that we should be running faster than that at that time. And so I was very happy and pleased. It meant a lot for me to finally break it. And to run 19.32 and break it by such a huge margin, which really demonstrated where I felt like the event should be at that point in time.

Breaking Pietro Mennea's 17-year-old 200 meter world record in 1996 was a very special accomplishment for me, as it demonstrated my capability to break a record that had been standing for a very long time. It also showed that I felt the record should be pushed further, and I was able to do this by running 19.32 and breaking the record by such a big margin.

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Breaking Pietro Mennea's 17-year-old 200 meter world record in 1996 meant a great deal to me. It was a goal I had been pursuing for six years, and finally achieving it was a significant milestone in my career. The record had stood for a long time, making it even more special. I always believed that the record was beatable and that we should be running faster. So, breaking it with a time of 19.32, a substantial margin, was incredibly satisfying. It demonstrated where I believed the event should be at that point in time and validated my hard work and dedication.

What injury was toughest to recover from during your career?

The Toughest Thing About Injuries: The Switch from Speed to Recovery

What injury was toughest to recover from during your career? Well, I had lots of them. When I was a college athlete, for those four years, I was injured the first three years of my four years as a college athlete and showing tremendous potential. I was always falling short of achieving that potential because I was always injured for the first three years. Lot of hamstring pulls, quad pulls, stress fracture, those were all very difficult. And then during my career as a professional, I was able to minimize some of the injuries but still able to-- still had to deal with some-- I think the most difficult thing about it wasn't necessarily one that was any more difficult than the others. It was difficult always to go into that when you're training really, really hard every day, pushing the limits because you know that this is going to make me faster and better, having to then all of a sudden everything comes to a stop. You're injured. Now you have to go into rehabilitation, rehab-- injury rehab. Slow, methodical, and you're doing a fraction of what you need to be doing to get faster. You're doing-- but being able to make that switch from OK now I have to focus all of my energy on the things required and the work required to get healthy as opposed to what I need to do to get faster. That's a very difficult switch, and it's easy at that point to just go into this depression of I'm not getting faster and with every day that I'm doing these things that's required to get healthy, I'm losing ground on my competition. I'm not getting faster. I'm doing a fraction of what I really should be out there doing. That's tough. It's really difficult. That is the toughest thing about injuries.

The toughest injury to recover from during my career was the mental struggle of having to focus on rehabilitation instead of training to get faster.

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The toughest injury to recover from during my career? Well, I faced numerous injuries throughout my journey. During my college athlete years, I struggled with hamstring pulls, quad pulls, and even a stress fracture. These injuries made it challenging to reach my full potential and achieve the success I desired.

As a professional, I managed to minimize some injuries, but they were still present. However, what made the recovery process difficult wasn't necessarily one specific injury. It was the mental and emotional aspect of transitioning from intense training and pushing my limits to suddenly coming to a halt due to injury. Shifting my focus from striving to get faster and better to solely focusing on rehabilitation and injury recovery was a significant challenge.

Rehabilitation required a slow and methodical approach, doing a fraction of what I needed to do to improve my speed. It was tough to accept that I had to redirect all my energy towards getting healthy instead of working towards getting faster. It was easy to fall into a sense of depression, feeling like I was losing ground to my competition with each passing day of injury rehab. I wasn't progressing as I should be, and it was mentally and emotionally taxing.

That switch in mindset and the realization that injuries demanded a different kind of dedication and focus was the toughest part of the recovery process.

Your 4x400m leg in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany is the fastest leg ever in World Championships. In the moment, did you feel like you were running faster than ever?

Record-Breaking Relay Leg in 1993: Unleashing Untapped Potential

Your 4x400 meter leg in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany, is the fastest leg ever in a World Championships. In the moment, did you feel like you were running faster than ever? It's interesting. It's very different when you're running in a relay than when you're running an individual race. In the 4x400 meter relay it's a team effort. You don't have any other runners around you. They may be in front of you or behind you on a relay because after the first leg, the stagger is done. Everyone moves into lane 1, and I was the anchor leg, so we had already moved into lane 1. And it was the greatest team ever. We broke the world record, which still stands. So by the time I got the baton, we were so far ahead of everyone else, I wasn't really competing against anyone else. So I was just trying to-- I knew that we were on world-record pace. We had broken the world record the year before in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympics with a team that wasn't as good as this team. Three of those people-- two of those other people plus myself-- were retained from that previous team. But one of them wasn't. and the person we had was even better. So I knew we were on world-record pace, and I just wanted to do my part. And I knew that was nobody for me to go and try to catch because we were already ahead, and I knew no one was going to catch me, no matter what I did. So it gave me the opportunity to just run hard from the very beginning, and I just did that. So there's no real strategy from that standpoint, like there would be in the open 400 meters. I just ran hard and everything clicked. So I wasn't sure how fast I was running. I knew I was running fast because I knew I was in great shape. I was in the best shape of my life at that point. I had just run a personal best to win the 400 meters a few days before, so I knew I was running fast. And then it turned out to be a 42.9 second split, which also was an indication for me of just what my potential might be in the open 400. I always felt I could run under 43 seconds for the open 400. Turns out my world record was 43.18, just shy of under 43 seconds. But it was an indicator of where I could go in the open 400 from that point.

I knew I was running fast, as I was in the best shape of my life and had just broken a personal record. I wasn't competing against anyone else, as my team was far ahead. So I ran hard from the beginning and ended up with a 42.9 split, which was an indication of my potential for the open 400. It turned out my world record was 43.18, just shy of under 43 seconds.

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During my 4x400 meter leg in the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, which remains the fastest leg ever recorded, did I feel like I was running faster than ever? It's an interesting question. Running in a relay is a different experience compared to an individual race. In the 4x400 meter relay, it's a team effort, and you don't have other runners directly beside you. After the first leg, the stagger is done, and everyone moves into lane 1. As the anchor leg, we had already moved into lane 1. Our team was exceptional, and we ended up breaking the world record, which still stands.

By the time I received the baton, we were far ahead of the other teams, so I wasn't really competing against anyone in that moment. I knew we were on world-record pace, and my goal was to do my part. There was no one for me to catch because we were already leading, and I knew no one would catch me, regardless of my performance. This gave me the opportunity to run hard from the beginning, and everything just clicked into place. There wasn't a specific strategy like in the open 400 meters. I simply ran hard, knowing I was in great shape. I had recently run a personal best to win the 400 meters a few days prior, so I was aware of my speed.

It turned out that my split for that leg was 42.9 seconds, which was an indication of my potential in the open 400. I always believed I could run under 43 seconds in the open 400, and my world record of 43.18 seconds came close to that mark. The relay leg gave me insight into what I could achieve in the open 400 from that point onward.

As an expert, why are you interested in using AnyQuestion?

Expert shares passion for sharing knowledge on AnyQuestion

As an expert, why are you interested in using AnyQuestion? I think it's a fantastic platform and allows me to be able to take the information, and knowledge, and expertise that I have and provide it to others who may be interested. And have questions-- people have always had questions about, how did you achieve this type of success that you did in your athletic career? How did you achieve that type of success after your career? People are always full of questions when they come to me, and this gives me the opportunity to provide answers, which I love doing. If I can help people understand my sport better, if I can help them understand how to achieve success, how to get the best from themselves, if I can help them to understand that better, that makes me happy and fulfills me to be able to help people in that way. And AnyQuestion gives me a platform to be able to do that because people use it as a platform to be able to ask the questions that they're curious about.

I'm interested in using AnyQuestion because it allows me to take the knowledge and expertise that I have and provide it to others who may be interested. It gives me a platform to help people understand my sport better, how to achieve success, and how to get the best from themselves.

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As an expert, I am interested in using AnyQuestion because it provides a fantastic platform for me to share my knowledge and expertise with others. People often approach me with questions about my athletic career, how I achieved success, and how I continued to succeed after my career. I enjoy providing answers and helping others understand my sport better, as well as guiding them on achieving their own success and reaching their full potential. It brings me joy and fulfillment to assist people in this way, and AnyQuestion gives me the opportunity to do so by allowing users to ask the questions they are curious about.

Your running style was very unique, how much was coached and how much was natural?

Unique running style: Natural advantage turned into a winning technique!

Your running style was very unique. How much was coached? And how much was natural? So I always ran very upright, and it was always very different. I can remember as a kid being made fun of because of the way that I ran. But I was always able to sort of joke and give it just as much as I could take it. So I would always say-- when people say, you know you run funny, I would say, you run slow, because I was always winning all of the races with all my friends. But when I got to Baylor University and my coach, Clyde Hart, recruited me, he never mentioned anything about my running technique, my running style-- at least not the fact that I ran upright. He corrected some other things, but never said that that was wrong or that it would need to be changed. And then ultimately, we realized that it was a real advantage when we worked with some sports scientists from the US Olympic Committee and found that my running technique and upright style that I had was an advantage. It allowed me to produce more force into the ground, which allowed me to run faster and more efficiently. So we did then, at that point, start to incorporate things into my weight-training sessions, as well as my training on the track that allowed me to actually use that advantage even more. So yeah, that was-- it was a natural style. And it wasn't something that we created. But it was something that, once we learned that it was a natural advantage, it was something that we then worked to enhance it and make sure that I was able to use it to its full advantage.

My running style was natural and something I was made fun of as a kid. However, when I got to Baylor University my coach never mentioned anything about it, but when looking into it further with some sports scientists we found that my upright running style was an advantage and allowed me to produce more force into the ground which enabled me to run faster and more efficiently. So once we learned of this advantage, we worked to enhance it and make sure I was able to use it to its full potential.

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Your running style was indeed very unique. The question is, how much of it was coached and how much was natural? As a kid, I always ran upright, which made me stand out. I even faced some teasing because of it. However, I never let it bother me and would respond with a playful comeback, saying that others ran slow while I was winning races with my friends.

When I joined Baylor University and was recruited by Coach Clyde Hart, he never mentioned anything about my running technique or style, particularly the fact that I ran upright. He focused on correcting other aspects of my running. It wasn't until later, when we worked with sports scientists from the US Olympic Committee, that we discovered my running style was actually an advantage. It allowed me to generate more force into the ground, resulting in faster and more efficient running.

Once we realized this natural advantage, we incorporated specific elements into my weight-training sessions and track training to further enhance and maximize its benefits. So while my running style was natural and not something we created, we worked to enhance it and ensure I could fully utilize its advantages.

Looking back at your career, what was the biggest obstacle you overcame?

Overcoming Career-Threatening Injuries: A Sprinter's Triumph

Looking back at your career, what was the biggest obstacle you overcame? I think probably injuries, which is so much a part of this sport especially as a sprinter. I had some significant injuries during my collegiate career, chronic injuries so much so that it almost threatened to prohibit me from actually even having a professional and Olympic career. And so that was a huge challenge, which finally in my fourth year, my final year at Baylor University I was able to figure out how to overcome the injuries. And it was really one of those situations where one of the most difficult problems to solve is when the problem is you. And in this case, the problem was me. I just wasn't doing the things that I really needed to be doing to minimize my risk of injury, because I didn't like doing those things. I liked running. I didn't like stretching, didn't like weight training, and I needed to really commit as much of my time and energy to those things as I did to running which I loved. So the lesson there is in order to be successful, you have to commit to all the fundamentals and not cherry pick the ones that you're good at or the ones that you enjoy, or put more emphasis on the things that you're good at or more emphasis on the things that you enjoy. But understanding what are the fundamentals that are required in order to succeed at any particular goal and then giving everything you absolutely have everything to those fundamentals. So that was big for me. But injuries, of course, didn't stop there. I still have more injuries because it's just something that you have to deal with as a sprinter. The biggest challenge for me was overcoming those things every single time. It was always a huge, huge struggle because you're training hard, and to get better, and be faster, then all of a sudden an injury happens and it sets you back. And mentally, that's very difficult to overcome, but when you figure it out, because it is so much of a part of the sport, you can have great success because you know how to get beyond those injuries.

The biggest obstacle I overcame in my career was injuries. I had to learn how to commit to all the fundamentals required to succeed, not just the ones that I enjoyed or was good at. Despite facing more injuries later on, I was able to figure out how to overcome them every time and have great success.

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Looking back at my career, the biggest obstacle I overcame was dealing with injuries, which are a significant part of being a sprinter. I faced chronic injuries during my collegiate career that almost threatened my chances of having a professional and Olympic career. It was a huge challenge that I finally managed to overcome in my fourth and final year at Baylor University.

The obstacle was particularly difficult because the problem was me. I wasn't doing the necessary things to minimize the risk of injury because I didn't enjoy them. I loved running but disliked stretching and weight training, which were crucial for injury prevention. I had to learn to commit as much time and energy to these fundamentals as I did to running. The lesson here is that to be successful, you must fully commit to all the necessary fundamentals, rather than cherry-picking or emphasizing only the things you enjoy or are good at.

However, injuries didn't stop there. As a sprinter, they are an ongoing challenge. The biggest struggle for me was consistently overcoming these setbacks. It was mentally tough to be training hard, striving to improve and become faster, only to be set back by an injury. But as injuries are a significant part of the sport, once you figure out how to navigate them, you can achieve great success.

Overall, overcoming injuries and learning to prioritize all the necessary fundamentals were the biggest obstacles I faced in my career.

Michael Johnson answers your Track & Field questions. See all the advice Michael Johnson has and get answers to your own Track & Field questions.

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Michael Johnson is one of the greatest sprinters of all time, and in the 1990s he dominated the 200m and 400m, going undefeated in the latter for seven years. Born in Dallas in 1967, he studied at Baylor University and was spotted by coach Clyde Hart. After gaining a degree, he committed to full-time athletics and in 1991 won the 200m world title. Sadly, food poisoning denied him individual success at the Barcelona Olympics, but he helped the US 4x400m relay team to gold. From 1993, Johnson went undefeated in the 400m for 58 races and in 1996 achieved the 200m-400m double at the Atlanta Olympics, setting world records in both. He retired in 2001 having won 8 world and 4 Olympic gold medals.