GERMANY: FORMER WORLD OLYMPIC SPRINTER MICHAEL JOHNSON HONOURED IN BERLIN'S NIKETOWN SPORTS STORE

Record ID: 972633

  • Title: GERMANY: FORMER WORLD OLYMPIC SPRINTER MICHAEL JOHNSON HONOURED IN BERLIN'S NIKETOWN SPORTS STORE
  • Date: 29th May 2001
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MAY 29, 2001)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. MICHAEL JOHNSON PUTTING HIS FEET IN CONCRETE 2. JOHNSON HOLDING UP THE CONCRETE CAST 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHAEL JOHNSON SAYING: "To make clear from the very beginning, if you remember in Sydney I said that I would not be competing in any more Olympics or World Championships and it should be noted and made very clear that I did not ask anyone to make any rule for me, or to allow me into World Championships. USA Track and Field decided they wanted me to compete there, that they would like for me to be their on the relay so they started internally without any urging from me or anyone in my organisation to decide whether they wanted me to run, without asking me. Then they decided they didn't want me to run, it was never anything I asked them to do and so therefore in answer to your question, no I am not disappointed because it was never a part of my victory tour and it has nothing to do with my objectives this year." 4. THE NEWS CONFERENCE WITH JOURNALISTS 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHAEL JOHNSON SAYING: "This year I feel would be a great opportunity, at the end of my career, to focus less on the competition and more on showing my appreciation to the fans who have supported me every year, and to whom I've tried to give great performances to every year, so I'm excited about the tour and we'll be doing lots of clinics, autographs session and that will give me an opportunity to interact with the fans a lot more." 6. PHOTOGRAPHERS 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHAEL JOHNSON SAYING: "I think the emphasis for kids in sport should really be on fun and not on the competitive side of things, but to go out there and enjoy it, they will have plenty of time later in their lives to focus on the competition side of things. I think it's really important for the kids to enjoy the sport." 8. PHOTOGRAPHERS WITH MICHAEL JOHNSON Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th June 2001 13:00
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  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVACMO3MIHRK1K8HS0JARGZMVC13
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  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS - SOURCE TO BE VERIFIED
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