Olympic Legend Michael Johnson Believes FloJo Did Much More Than Usain Bolt on the Tracks
Florence Griffith Joyner, popularly known as FloJo, dominated the tracks in the women’s races in her prime. Being the fastest woman of her generation, the American stormed through the records by setting unbeatable records in the 100m and 200m sprint races. These records unnervingly stand to this day, with no athletes even getting close to it.
Her timings of 10.49 seconds in the 100m and 21.24 seconds in the 200m are still the world records, having been set in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Winning 3 Gold medals and 1 silver that year, she immortalised her name in the history books.
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Her influence is still present today, as was evident when four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson praised her on Twitter. The American expressed his opinion of FloJo doing more for the sport than Usain Bolt himself.
“Has Bolt done to the men’s 100/200 what Flojo did to the women’s?” Johnson asked fans in a tweet. “Put them so far out of reach that for 30+ years works records in those events aren’t even part of the conversation?”
Has Bolt done to the men’s 100/200 what Flojo did to the women’s? Put them so far out of reach that for 30+ years works records in those events aren’t even part of the conversation?
— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) July 25, 2021
Usain Bolt is, however, nothing short of an all-time great. The Jamaican ruled the tracks for a longer active period than FloJo and set the world records for the 100m and 200m races that remain unbroken.
His personal bests of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds, respectively, in the above races are the fastest recorded timings in the history of the sport.
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Usain Bolt dominated the tracks through 3 editions of the Olympics
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He cliched the gold medals in the 100m and 200m races in the Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016 editions of the Olympic Games. Since his retirement, the records have stood strong, but many believe they may eventually fall.
via Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the Men’s 200m Final on Day 13 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 9, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
FloJo’s records have stood for over 30 years and she is still viewed as the benchmark for female athletes and probably still will for the generations to come.
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Bolt is a relatively modern star, but in a decade or so, if his records still stand, he can be placed in the same air as FloJo in terms of influence if he is not already there.
More than anything, the Jamaican has become a pop culture icon due to his many endeavors and showmanship over anything else. In fact, he can meet eye to eye with FloJo in that regard; the two were the best spotlight athletes in the business.
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