Olympic Gold medalist Michael Johnson weighs in on the addition of a Hall of Fame for track and field

By Abhiruchi Rout

Modified Apr 26, 2024 10:22 GMT

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Former American sprinter Michael Johnson recently talked about the inclusion of the Hall of Fame in track and field.

Johnson, who retired from the sport in 2001, is regarded as one of the greatest sprinters in track and field. His prominent accomplishments include winning four Olympic gold medals - two in the 400m, one in the 200m, and one in the 4x400m relay event. He is also an eight-time World Champion and previously held world records in the 200m and 400m sprint events.

Johnson recently emphasized the introduction of a Hall of Fame in the sport. British track and field athlete, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake shared his opinion on adding a Hall of Fame to promote the sport on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, suggesting:

“Need a Track & Field Hall of Fame!!! Glamorizing our sport will allow its status amongst the masses to grow and give it a greater allure as well as grandeur.”

Johnson responded to the tweet from the Adidas-sponsored athlete by sharing it on his X handle and expressing his agreement with the suggestion, adding:

“✔️ ✍️”

Michael Johnson is not the only one who commented about the need for a Hall of Fame. Adidas ambassador and six-time world champion Noah Lyles too had shared his take on this, adding:

“I been telling [American coach] Mark Wetmore this. We need one really bad”

Blogger Track Spice reacted to this statement of Lyles, writing:

“They have one but it’s not really it. We need the glam, photographs, promotions for it, the walk ins, big prizes, covered on tv, hype around it, making it one of the most prestigious awards in Track and Field!”

Lyles once again weighed in, mentioning that the Hall of Fame isn’t even active at the moment, stating:

“The last person inducted was from 1990. They are not even active anymore. This does not count.”

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Michael Johnson is one of the members of the IAAF Hall of Fame

Laureus World Sports Academy member Michael Johnson speaks during a media interview at the Shanghai Grand Theatre prior to the Laureus World Sports Awards on April 14, 2015 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images for Laureus)

Michael Johnson is one of the 48 members of the IAAF Hall of Fame, established by the IAAF (now World Athletics) in 2012. He was among the 24 inaugural members of the Hall of Fame inducted in 2012.

The minimum criteria for an athlete to be considered for membership are as follows: (1) winning at least two gold medals at the Summer Olympics or World Championships, (2) setting at least one World record, and (3) retiring for at least 10 years during the election period for the Hall of Fame.

However, the last induction of athletes into the Hall of Fame took place back in November 2014. Since then, no track and field athlete has been added to this list.