The end of an era -- Michael Johnson Retires

<i><a href="http://espn.go.com/oly/news/2001/0907/1248959.html">Johnson anchors 1,600 relay victory</a>

BRISBANE, Australia -- Michael Johnson's storied career ended Friday night in appropriate fashion -- with a victory.

Johnson anchored the United States 1,600-meter relay team to the gold medal at the Goodwill Games before a boisterous crowd at ANZ Stadium that came to witness the final championship race of one of track and field's greatest performers.

As he crossed the finish line, the 29,973 fans gave him a standing ovation and he was congratulated by his relay teammates, Derrick Brew, Leonard Byrd and Antonio Pettigrew.

The whole atmosphere moved Johnson.

"When we took a victory lap, it was very emotional," Johnson said. "I'm happy. It's difficult to be sad. My career has been unbelievable. There is nothing I regret."

The medal added to Johnson's already glittering array that includes five Olympic gold medals and nine World Championships gold medals.

Coincidentally, Johnson began his international career at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle. He also competed in the 1994 Games at St. Petersburg, Russia, and the 1998 Games at Uniondale, N.Y., anchoring the U.S. 1,600-meter relay team to the world record.

"It's only natural that I would run here again," he said. "Everything worked out."

It also was fitting that Johnson, who competed only in relays this year on his Golden Lap Victory Tour, ran his final major race in Australia. A year ago, he completed his racing in individual events by winning the 400 meters at the Sydney Games.

Johnson, the world record-holder in the 200 and 400 meters, is the only man to sweep those events at the same Games and the only man to repeat as Olympic 400 champion. He will run one more relay race -- an exhibition at Yokohama, Japan, on Sept. 15 -- before retiring. He will be 34 Sept. 13.

"I wanted to dedicate this year to the fans and it's been a lot of fun," Johnson said.

Fun also is the way he has described his career that included a montage of memorable moments.

The most noteworthy was his 200-400 double at the 1996 Olympics, capped by the world record of 19.32 seconds in the 200. The time was a stunning .34 seconds under the previous record he had set at the U.S. Olympic trials.

On Friday night, he wanted to go out in style, and he did. He ran with the same steely focus that marked his career, and, of course, the same ramrod, piston-like style reminiscent of his idol, Jesse Owens.

However, he said, his emotions overshadowed the competition aspect.

"This was a farewell," he said. "I will miss the sport because it's been such a big part of my life. I am sad, not so much that my career is ending, because that was a decision I consciously made. I am a little sad that this year is going to end because I have had a great time. But I'm looking forward to retirement."

The U.S. finished the relay in 3 minutes, 00.52 seconds.

"I'll always hold the memory of handing the baton to Michael in his final race," Pettigrew said.

"This is the first time I was running with Michael," Brew said. "It was an honor."

Byrd said, "I'm grateful for what Michael has done for the sport."

Johnson, after being pressed by Jamaica's Michale Blackwood for the first 300 meters, turned on the power down the stretch and won by about eight meters.

He then walked a victory lap around the track with his teammates, as the crowd saluted him.

Halfway through the victory lap, his teammates abandoned him and let Johnson soak in the warmth of the crowd.

As he walked around by himself, he stopped and threw his shoes into the crowd and waved to the fans, while he was smiling broadly.

When he reached the finish line, his wife Kerry, his son Sebastien and his coach Clyde Hart were there to greet him. They all hugged, kissed and posed for photos.

"We are happy to have him at home," Kerry said. All the time, the song "Friends for Life," was playing on the loud speaker.

In men's figure skating, Russian Yevgeny Plushchenko received all 5.8s or 5.9s for presentation in his free skate to win the gold medal. Michael Weiss of the United States, the bronze medalist at the 2000 world championships, took the silver medal and triple world champion Alexei Yagudin of Russia got the bronze.

In women's competition, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia, the world silver medalists, won the pairs gold.

The boxing program had its first controversy when U.S. junior Juan McPherson accused Cuba's Estonio Gutierrez of biting him on the shoulder during their 139-pounds division semifinal.

Gutierrez won the four-round contest 21-14, but McPherson said a bite in the second round had thrown his concentration and he planned to lodge a protest.

Damian Austin advanced as expected with a 12-6 win over Ukrainian Viktor Polyakov in the 156-pound division, giving the Cubans four world champions into finals.

Diving competition opened with world 3-meter springboard champion Guo Jingjing leading a Chinese 1-2 in the women's 1-meter springboard. Guo got 301.86 points, Wu Minxia took silver with 287.58 points and Russia's Vera Ilyina was third in 283.56.

Diving competition opened Friday with world 3-meter springboard champion Guo Jingjing leading a Chinese 1-2 in the women's 1-meter springboard. Guo got 301.86 points, Wu Minxia took silver with 287.58 points and Russia's Vera Ilyina was third in 283.56.

Adam Nelson, the World Championships silver medalist and Olympic bronze medalist, won his first major title, leading a 1-2 U.S. finish in the men's shot put. Nelson outdueled world champion John Godina, throwing 68 feet, 7¼ inches.

"Hopefully, this is the first of many golds to come," Nelson said. "I've had lots of second-place finishes over the last year."

Godina's best throw was only 68-1½, after a series of warmup throws that sailed much farther.

Godina blamed his relatively poor showing in the competition on "some outside stuff that affected me," but adding, "it was just a bad me today."

The Americans also won the women's 1,600 relay, but lost both 400 relays.

Suziann Reid, who dropped the baton on the handoff of the final leg of the 1,600 relay at the World Championships, held it this time, then staved off Jamaica's Lorraine Fenton, giving the Americans the victory in 3:24.63.

Reid started with a 10-meter lead over Fenton who nearly closed the entire gap by the time they came off the final curve. But Reid wound up winning by three meters.

Dwain Chambers, the Goodwill Games 100-meter champion, anchored Britain to a 1½-meter victory over the United States in the men's 400 relay in 38.71. However, the Americans were disqualified for a handoff out of the passing zone from Terrence Trammell to Dennis Mitchell on the second exchange.

"We've been struggling in the last few years to get a championship win," Chambers said. "For once, we beat the U.S."

Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, the Ukrainian who upset Marion Jones to win the world 100-meter title, held off a hard-charging Chryste Gaines, giving the World All-Stars a one-meter victory over the United States in the women's 400 relay. The World team was timed in 42.95, the Americans in 42.98.

Unheralded American Tim Mack won the pole vault at 19-0½, beating Aleksandr Averbukh of Israel, the world silver medalist, who cleared the same height on fewer misses.

The Czech Republic's Tomas Dvorak, the three-time world champion, won four of the 10 decathlon events -- the long jump, shot put, high jump and javelin throw -- and won the overall title with 8,514 points.

In other men's events, Sweden's Stefan Holm, the world indoor champion, won the high jump at 7-7, as world record-holder Javier Sotomayor of Cuba finished fifth at 7-5¾; Ethiopia's Assefa Mezgebu, the world silver medalist, took the 10,000 at 28:06.48, after a strong sprint over the final 200 meters; Japan's Koji Mirofushi became the Asian to win a major power throwing event, taking the hammer throw at 272-1, beating Poland's Szymon Ziolkowski, the Olympic and world champion, second at 264-9.

In other women's finals, Olympic and world champion Derartu Tulu outkicked her Ethiopian teammate Ayelech Worku for a two-meter victory in the 10,000 in 31:48.19; and Maurren Maggi of Brazil won the long jump, leaping a personal-best 22-9¼ on the final jump of the competition to beat Browyn Thompson, the runner-up with an Australian record 22-6¾.
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