Atlanta 1996 - Johnson wins the 200m final and breaks the world record

South African sprinter breaks Michael Johnson’s record

Olympic legend Michael Johnson, one of the greatest sprinters in track and field history, shocked the world when he returned one of his five gold medals. The medal came from the 4x400m relay, later tainted when teammate Antonio Pettigrew admitted to doping. Johnson, an outspoken critic of performance-enhancing drugs, said it wasn’t a hard choice—he didn’t want his name tied to cheating. He emphasized the U.S. team could have won with anyone clean, underscoring Pettigrew’s doping as unnecessary.