"Need to make the sport relevant to all media every year"- Michael Johnson on US 100m silver medalists before Sha'Carri Richardson being overlooked

By Adityan Pillai

Modified Aug 04, 2024 08:16 GMT

Michael Johnson recently spoke about the women's 100m final at the Paris Olympics. USA's Sha'Carri Richardson clinched the silver medal in her debut appearance at the Olympic games and fans on social media went gaga over her medal-winning performance.

Amidst all the victory celebrations, several outlets brought up statistical comparisons between Richardson's performance with that of other American athletes in the 100m event. Reportedly, "Sportscenter", in a now-deleted tweet, posted a picture of Sha'Carri Richardson and wrote:

"Silver is the best official finish by an American woman in the 100m since 2000."

This brought about severe criticism from fans and enthusiasts worldwide who felt that the media was all praise for Sha'Carri Richardson and sidelined other female sprinters from USA who had won silver medals in the Olympic Games.

According to the official reports on Olympics.com, three other female athletes have won the silver medal for the United States in the Olympics since 2000. They are - Lauryn Williams in the 100m at the Athens Olympics in 2004, Carmelita Jeter in 2012 at the London Olympics, and Tori Bowie at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Michael Johnson took to X and expressed his opinion on the situation. The legendary athlete said that he felt that it was an honest mistake from their side. Moreover, he said that such incidents highlight how sports such as track & field should be relevant all year round, instead of gaining media attention only during major events like the Olympics.

"Probably an honest mistake but you’re right. Also why we need to make the sport relevant to all media every year instead just during the Olympics," he wrote.

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Michael Johnson expresses disappointment in Team USA's performance in the mixed 4x400m relay final

Michael Johnson - Paris 2024 Olympics Games - Athletics - Source: Getty

Team USA's 4x400m mixed relay team consisting of Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, and Kaylyn Brown contested in the finals of the event at the Paris Olympics. USA clinched the silver medal after clocking 3:07.74.

They were stunned by the Netherlands, who were trailing behind in the final leg, but Femke Bol anchored the team to victory with a final push in the last 40m of the race to win the gold with a time of 3:07.43. Michael Johnson took to X and expressed his disappointment with the team's performance.

"USA huge missed opportunity for gold in the Mixed 4x4. Good first leg from Vernon. Other three legs looked subpar," he wrote.

Michael Johnson has joined BBC for their coverage of the Paris Olympics and continues to give fans and enthusiasts insights about the sport.