Michael Johnson: 'It's all about the execution – and I like that'

One of the sprinting greats – four Olympic golds, eight World Championship golds, still the world record holder at the 400m – talks about his new foundation, the importance of symmetry and having a balanced diet

Hello Michael. What have you been up to? I’ve been hearing about Michael Johnson Performance. Yes, the foundation is a really exciting project for me; I just launched this year. I think it’s unique. What we are doing is identifying young people from around the world who have really come through some tough, challenging times and situations in their communities, and they’ve been able to rise above that through their passion for sport. What’s really unique about these young people is they have shown real leadership skills in their communities, starting projects of their own or using sport to help other young people. So what my foundation is doing is giving them the tools to go and be effective and reach their full potential as leaders. That’s what I’ve been spending my time on these days.

What prompted it? Is it something you’ve been working on for ages? It’s something that I’ve been involved in – Sport for Change, for instance: how sport can change people’s lives. I’ve been involved in that around the world since I retired 16 years ago. I’ve been involved in some great organisations that use sport to bring people from the depths, in whatever situations they find themselves in, to help them. But this is different; given the right tools and opportunities, some of these young people can be leaders because they have such potential.

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from Health & wellbeing | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1VB7EyM
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