POSTED: July 12th 2012
NewsUpdate
Michael Johnson launches running app
London Media Centre
July 12 - British athletes will be motivated by the fact the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are taking place in London – but being on home-soil won't give them an advantage when they compete, says Michael Johnson.
“British athletes will have had a constant reminder of why they're training because of all the Olympic hype. Athletes around the world won't have had that,” he said. “But any home advantage the athletes may have had is gone when the gun goes off. Then it's all about execution.”
Speaking of the pressure of competing at Olympic level, the US sprinter said: “It's what you've dreamed about your whole life and you don't know if you'll get the chance to compete again. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity so you're under a tremendous amount of pressure, and the focus on you as an athlete is tough.”
Although Johnson has hung up his running shoes, he is still keen to promote fitness and good healthy. His recently-launched running app, Motiv8, encourages people to get fit, with Johnson offering words of support, such as “get to the end and I'll give you a hug”.
“I want to help people to go out running every day,” said Johnson. “In my career, I was fortunate enough to achieve my goals. Now I want to help people to achieve theirs.”
Although sprinters avoid long-distance running when competing, Johnson now enjoys going out for long runs; the furthest he has ever run is six miles.
He has also introduced a healthy eating app for children, Fun Run, an arcade-style game which reinforces the message that eating right helps you run faster.
“We need more children to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and exercise and a good diet are key to achieving this," said Johnson.
Keywords · Michael Johnson · London 2012 ·
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