“I think I can save track; I don’t think I can save track and field.” Michael Johnson was pretty blunt with his statement regarding the state of the sport. Even though the final session of the Grand Slam Track was cancelled this year, all because one investor backed away at the crucial moment, Johnson has stood strong in his stance to work for the betterment of the sport. And the sport can bloom only after Johnson brings in a series of changes.
Now, the eight-time world champion has offered a sliver of hope to save track and field.
During a recent conversation with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green on an episode of Ready Set Go, the four-time Olympic gold medalist stated, “I have to keep working and keep moving. And our team will. And we will see, ultimately, how this ages. But as of today, we know where we are. We got a lot of work to do. And that’s just the truth. And we accept that. We absolutely accept that. But, what we have to do if we want this to continue, and we absolutely do. I think our athletes, and I think most of the fans, want it to continue.”
Michael Johnson knows how much people care about track and field. After all, that’s the reason why they keep talking about the sport, even if it’s in the form of criticism. Johnson continued, “And that’s one of the things that I always believe, regardless of whether people agree with the way I want to change the sport or not. They may think there’s another way to change it. But we all know and we all agree that the sport needs to change for the better. We might disagree on how, we might disagree on the format, but we all know that it needs to be changed.”
Well, Johnson is already moving forward to bring about that change. Despite the cancellation of the final Grand Slam Track meet of 2025, he assured its return in 2026. Of course, he’d be a bit more careful with the investors this time. But as of now, Michael Johnson seemed pretty satisfied with his team’s work.
And to bring more visibility and financial stability to the sport, Johnson claimed, “And we’re not gonna stop. We’re not gonna quit.”
Track & Field: Grand Slam Track Miami May 4, 2025 Miramar, FL, USA Michael Johnson reacts during the Grand Slam Track Miami at Ansin Sports Complex. Miramar Ansin Sports Complex Florida United States, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20250504_hlf_al2_126
Michael Johnson indeed split the fanbase in half when he claimed that he couldn’t save the field. Of course, track and field consists of many distinct divisions. And saving all of them is a tedious task. Johnson’s statement’s blunt nature erupted into a controversy. But do you know what Gatlin previously thought of Johnson’s stance?
What does Justin Gatlin think of Michael Johnson’s stance on track and field?
Back in December 2024, Gatlin took to his Ready Set Go podcast and weighed in on Johnson’s statement and tried to offer some clarifications.
“I think for Michael, I think it was a bold statement, bro; it was bold. Because right now in the changing of the guards that we’re in with track and field, I think more unity is better than division and how you speak upon it and fix what you can fix, but let’s do that just fix what you can fix first, you right, and if people come tap you on the shoulder and say, well, why you not fixing, you know, the field events, then okay, maybe that’s what happened; maybe that’s when the statement was made when he was asked about the field part, but it ruffled a lot of feathers, bro.”
Gatlin seemed to understand why Michael Johnson has a soft spot for track. He did win four Olympic golds, eight world championships, and many more in track. But his knowledge in the field was a bit limited. Gatlin assumed that Johnson probably didn’t know enough about the field to fix it.
Nevertheless, the 57-year-old retired champion is all set to bring about the necessary changes through the Grand Slam Track.
And the promise of a change came with missing deadlines. Yes, Johnson initially promised a prize pool of $30M. But with one of the investors backing away, he’s yet to pay around $3M to the athletes. And the deadline is already gone.
So, how can Michael Johnson change the sport? Well, we’d have to wait and watch the story unfold.
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