Michael Johnson's Olympics recap - Day One
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson reveals the three things that make track events 'unmissable'
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00:00Some of the most iconic moments when you think about the Olympic Games are track moments.
00:04It's the one ticket that everybody wants.
00:11Okay. A cappuccino, please.
00:15There's nowhere else I could possibly be at this moment than Paris, France.
00:19Thank you.
00:21I'm like the luckiest person in the world.
00:23Growing up as a kid, I just loved to run.
00:25Just loved to run.
00:26I loved winning even more.
00:28I couldn't imagine not being involved in this sport somehow.
00:31There's no doubt that track and field is the crown jewel of the Olympic Games.
00:35These are my three things that make track unmissable.
00:37One, it's unbelievable drama.
00:40You're going to see athletes who, you know, they're expected to win.
00:45They're not going to win. They're not even going to medal.
00:47And it's disappointing, but it's great entertainment.
00:50That for them, good for us.
00:52It's a simple sport, number two.
00:54It's just, you know, first person across the finish line wins.
00:57You don't have to understand this sport.
00:59You don't have to understand the rules, you know, to get it.
01:02It's just first person across the finish line wins.
01:04And third, it's just amazing athleticism.
01:07The speed of sprinters.
01:08Most people couldn't imagine driving in their car that fast.
01:11You know, it's just that amazing.
01:15Look, every four years, track is front and center.
01:20Everybody's watching track.
01:22They love it. It's amazing drama.
01:24And then it's over, and you have to wait another four years to get that same sort of drama,
01:29that same head-to-head competition between the best of the best.
01:32And that's why I'm so thrilled that we're launching Grand Slam Track.
01:36Now, those people who are going to watch all of these fantastic athletes here in Paris
01:41have the opportunity to watch this again and to see it again and again
01:45and to continue to enjoy the great competition that we'll see here in Paris.
01:50The day before you start competing is probably the most difficult day to manage.
01:56You don't want to overexert yourself.
01:58You don't want to just sit around just winding yourself up,
02:01mentally thinking about the race the whole day.
02:03So you're trying to figure out, you know, sort of what works.
02:06This is not the place to figure that out.
02:09Hopefully you've already figured that out in the past,
02:11sort of, you know, how you manage your day before a race.
02:14And the worst thing a coach can say, and a lot of them do, is like,
02:17oh, it's just any other race. No, it's not.
02:19When you walk out into that stadium, you are going to realize that,
02:22no, this is not like any other race.
02:25And at some point it's going to dawn on you that, no, this is the one.
02:29All right, I'm your man here in Paris on the ground.
02:31If you've got questions, just ask me.
02:33I'll probably have an answer.
02:35If I don't, I'll make one up and it'll probably be 90% true.
02:39Perfect.
02:43Good?
02:44That's a good success rate.