Michael Johnson is a retired Olympic sprinter. In 1991 at the World Championships in Tokyo, Johnson earned his first world title by winning the 200 m race by the unusual margin of victory of 0.33 seconds over Frankie Fredericks.

Johnson won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships gold medals in the span of his career. He formerly held the world and Olympic records in the 200 m and 400 m, as well as the world record in the indoor 400 m. He also once held the world's best time in the 300 m. Johnson is generally considered one of the greatest and most consistent sprinters in the history of track and field. Johnson is the only male athlete in history to win both the 200 metres and 400 metres events at the same Olympics (as of 2021). (Also as of 2021) Johnson is also the only man to successfully defend his Olympic title in the 400 m, having done so at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Aside from his Olympic success, Johnson accumulated eight gold medals at the World Championships and is tied with Carl Lewis for the fourth most gold medals won by a runner.

Johnson was elected to the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004. Since retiring from track, Johnson has worked as a television commentator, often for the BBC in the United Kingdom. In September 2018, Johnson suffered a stroke. By November, he stated he was almost "back to normal", and attributed his successful recovery to the "Olympic mindset."