Michael Johnson believes he could beat Usain Bolt in his prime - Getty Images

Michael Johnson claims he could beat Usain Bolt - "He's not the most efficient at the end of the race"

Modified Jul 26, 2024 14:10 GMT

American retired sprinter Michael Johnson believes he could beat Usain Bolt in his prime and said there was a key reason why he was confident about that.

Johnson is one of the legends of track and field. He is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and an eight-time world champion. His personal best time of 43.18 seconds in the 400 meters (set in 1999) is still an American record.

Bolt, on the other hand, is no slouch. He has been almost unbeatable during his career, winning eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championship golds. He is also the world record holder in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and the 4×100 meters relay.

The Jamaican remains the only sprinter to win Olympic 100-meter and 200-meter gold medals in three consecutive (2008, 2012, and 2016) editions.

In a recent interview, Johnson stated that while Bolt was an amazing athlete, he was never at his best at the end of his races, unlike him.

"I didn't get into any races I didn't think I could win. I think, you know, I could rise to whatever occasion. You know, Usain is an amazing athlete and he would have had an advantage on me a little bit out of the blocks," he said. (via High Performance Podcast)

"But you know, when he's slowing down at the end, he's not the most efficient at the end of the race. I'm extraordinarily efficient. I would have beaten him on speed endurance and the ability to hold my speed and my ability to be more efficient," he added.

The 56-year-old said that he would never change his opinion and joked that no one can ever know the truth since both of them are not in their primes anymore.

"And I'm just going to stick to that till the day I go to my grave. No one will ever know. So I have that advantage, no one will ever know," he said with a laugh.

Usain Bolt: "I don't think the world record will be under threat"

Usain Bolt is an eight-time Olympic gold medallist - Getty Images

Several sprinters have broken the 10-second barrier in 2024, including Kishane Thompson (9.77 seconds) and Noah Lyles (9.81 seconds). While there are some expectations that someone could threaten Usain Bolt's record (9.58 seconds) at the Paris Olympics, the Jamaican is not losing sleep over it.

During his career, Bolt set record times of 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters and 19.19 seconds in the 200 meters at the 2009 Berlin World Championships. Those timings have since not been bettered by anyone.

"Well, for me, I don't think so. Not right now. I think there's a long way to go. You understand, I don't see anybody really break the record. So I think I still have a few more years to go (laughs)," said Bolt. (via PTI)

"No, I don't think the world record will be under threat. For me, I'm watching what's going on now when it comes to the race, it's picking up a few times," he added.

That said, Usain Bolt stated that he was keeping an eye on all the sprinters this year and that we could see some interesting competitions at the Olympics.