Olympian Michael Johnson Accused Of Racism & American Nationalism For Comments About World Athletics Championships

The World Athletics Championships were all the rage last weekend in Oregon, however, certain moments were marred by controversy on social media. After the 100-meter hurdles, American track-and-field legend Michael Johnson had some choice words on Twitter questioning the legitimacy of the competition.

“I don’t believe 100h times are correct. World record broken by .08! 12 PBs set. 5 National records set,” Johnson tweeted. Many people said his skepticism was about a Nigerian athlete winning, Tobi Amusan, who had a blistering 12.12 performance in the 100-meter semi-final.

After the backlash, Johnson did not track back his statement, rather he doubled down and defended his comments, saying that he was not being racist tweeting, “As a commentator, my job is to comment. In questioning the times of 28 athletes (not 1 athlete) by wondering if the timing system malfunctioned, I was attacked, accused of racism, and of questioning the talent of an athlete I respect and predicted to win. Unacceptable. I move on.”

Johnson is one of the most prolific athletes in U.S. Track and Field history. Winning four Olympic Gold Medals as a sprinter and eight gold medals at the World Championships. He previously held the national records for the 200, 3000, and 400 meters. Johnson was elected to the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004. He has been an analyst for BBC and a columnist for the Daily Telegraph covering track and field.