Michael Johnson’s sharp response after Team GB’s success on track – ‘Calm down, Britain’

Tokyo 2020: 'High hopes' for GB's sprinters at Olympics

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Michael Johnson is once again a central figure for the BBC’s Tokyo 2020 coverage as Team GB look to add to their medals tally. The American, who has four gold medals to his name, has been critical of Team GB in recent years. This included his comments in 2014 when he urged people to “calm down” after Great Britain enjoyed a medal-laden European Championships. 

Britain topped the medal table for only the third time in European Championships history with a record haul of 12 golds and 23 medals in all, leading to performance director Neil Black to lay the gauntlet down to the rest of the world.

But Johnson, who also boasts eight world titles, warned that “British Athletics is not out of the woods” as the 2014 season drew to a close.

He said: “The young talent hasn’t been the problem if you look over several years. Britain has produced great talent and potential, the issue has been the ability to develop that at senior level.

“It’s now up to British Athletics to give the athletes the help and support they need to do that. They’re not out of the woods yet, there’s still a struggle with transition to develop on the world stage.

“Harry Aikines-Aryeetey [the 100m sprinter] is a great talent and continues to struggle, [European 400m champion] Martyn Rooney continues to struggle. People are getting excited about the young British talent coming up but we said the same thing four or five years ago.”

The Evening Standard summarised his comments, saying Johnson’s message to Team GB was “Calm down, Britain… You’ve some way to go before you can take world athletics by storm.”

Johnson has criticised Team GB on a number of occasions.

In 2006, he claimed that the UK culture “rewards Britain’s best, not the world’s best”.

He added: “[British sprinters] have lost their hunger and it is the system which causes them to lose the hunger.

“The system rewards mediocrity. It rewards Great Britain’s best, not the world’s best.

“You look at who is going to be next [in British sprinting] and there’s nothing.

“Young athletes come along and show promise but, if they come up through the system, they will go the same way.

“You’ve got to break the whole thing up and start from scratch.

“You’ve got to look at it and say it hasn’t worked. Drastic measures are what is needed.”

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During the 2017 World Championships in the Olympic Stadium, London, Johnson said he was “concerned” for British athletics despite Team GB winning gold on the track.

He said: “Four thrilling relay medals. Only one individual medalist, Mo Farah. He’s retiring. £27million investment. I’d be concerned.

“I’m not comparing GB to US, but to countries like South Africa, Poland, and France who don’t have nearly the resources of GB.”

Johnson is one of the Olympic Games’ all-time greats, having competed at three Olympic Games – Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, setting world records and winning four golds along the way.

He set world records in the 200 metre, 400 metre and the 4 X 400-metre relay.

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