| | Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Michael Johnson had no interest in
making history Sunday. He'll save that for September in Sydney.
|  | | Michael Johnson receives congratulations from fans in the stands Sunday after winning the 400. |
Johnson held back a little while winning the 400 meters in 43.68
seconds Sunday in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, the
fastest time in the world this year. He beat the rest of the field
by nearly a full second.
The time was just a half-second off the world record of 43.18 he
set last year in the World Championships. If he had run at top
speed Sunday, that record might have been broken.
"I felt good the whole way. I worked the curve not as
aggressively as I usually do, because I felt I had a comfortable
lead," Johnson said. "I wasn't trying to run any spectacular time
today, I was just trying to win the race. There's no reason to take
a risk at the Olympic trials."
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Johnson talking out the trash
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene, who will likely face off in the 200-meter trials, have been sniping at each other throughout the last few weeks, with Johnson calling Greene "immature" and
"disrespectful." Greene has stressed he was not in the race when
Johnson set his records in the 200 and 400.
Johnson added to the feud when he predicted in a column for USA
Today that Inger Miller, a teammate of Greene's on the HSI club,
would not qualify in the women's 100. Miller did qualify for the
Olympics by finishing second, and celebrated by scoffing at
Johnson's words and his tightly wound braids.
"I just think that Michael has a lot to say and maybe he should
untwist those beads in his hair," Miller said Saturday. "They are
wound too tight."
Johnson defended his prediction Sunday, and pointed out that
Antonio Pettigrew -- who finished third in the 400 -- didn't seem to
mind Johnson's comments in his column saying Pettigrew "usually
doesn't perform well" when the pace is fast.
"He's not going to start talking about my hairstyle," said
Johnson, who was sitting next to Pettigrew in an interview tent.
"It's cute," Pettigrew responded.
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Instead, Johnson will save his best in the 400 for Sydney, where
he'll attempt to become the first Olympian to win that event twice.
Johnson has said all along his objective in the trials was to
win the 200 and 400, and make the U.S. Olympic team in both events.
He has not been concerned about his times, and even agreed to wear
a heart monitor and sensors on his ankles during races to measure
his body's performance.
"The objective is to feel smooth and easy. The objective is to
take it as easy as possible and relax," he said Saturday after
winning his semifinal heat. "At this point, I really don't think
there's anything in my race I need to work on."
Johnson moved to the front at about 100 meters Sunday and
clearly was the leader halfway through the race. His time matched
the 10th best in history -- Johnson has run eight of the fastest 11
times.
Now Johnson will start preparing for this coming Sunday's 200,
where a duel with 100 champion Maurice Greene looms. The event is
the last of the trials.
Johnson is the defending Olympic champion in the 200, and holds
the world record in that event. Greene and Johnson have been
sniping at each other in recent days, adding some verbal intensity
to the upcoming showdown.
"As an athlete, I'm not a trash talker," Johnson said. "All
the things I've said this year have been in defense of what has
been said about me."
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Runyan overcomes adversity to earn ticket to Sydney
Joyner-Kersee's comeback doesn't have happy ending
U.S. Track & Field Trials results, Day 3
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