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'Mr Gold' looking to bow out of Olympics with another record
= = SYDNEY, Sept 20 (AFP) - American sprinting legend Michael Johnson will don his gold track shoes once again when he defends his Olympic 400 metres crown -- and the fabled 43-second barrier for the distance could be under threat. The 33-year-old Texas Express said he believed he was in good enough condition to break his world mark of 43.18sec set at the World Championships in Seville. "Of course I don't know when it (sub 43 sec) is going to come but I hope it comes soon because I'm running out of time!" the reigning Olympic champion and world record at 200m and 400m said. "I always perform well at the major championships and if the weather is right here then I am in the shape to do it," Johnson added. But ever the realist admitted that his first thought was to win and the record was secondary. "Don't forget these are the Olympics and the aim here is to win not set a world record," he said. "Some of my running in training last week was better than before I went to Seville last year (where he ran 43.18sec to smash the world record). "However, I don't want that to be interpreted as Michael Johnson is definitely going to break the world record and all that speculation to end up getting to stratospheric proportions .. we've been down that road before," he added. Johnson, who is also in line to become the first athlete to win two successive 400m Olympic titles, rubbished claims that his rivals were solely running for second place. "I'm not unbeatable and it is ridiculous to think that people who have trained for this event are just coming here to win a silver medal," he said. The diamond earring wearing Johnson, who said he had accepted his collapse in the 200m final at the US trials didn't rule out a clean sweep of the medals for the US trio in the 400m although he picked out Mexican Alejandro Cardenas as the potential fly in the ointment. "The clean sweep is definitely on as Alvin Harrison is running out of his skin at the moment and Antonio Pettigrew should be given a chance because of his experience," he said. "Cardenas is very dangerous and very confident after running third in the world championships last year. "However, if the race is a slow first 200m then Pettigrew should have a really good chance of a medal as he has a good kick though I would hope it would be a really fast first half of the race," he added. Johnson, whose only problem in retaining the title could be his troublesome adductor muscle which has brought him down on several occasions in recent years, is intent on enjoying his last Olympics and should he break the 43 second barrier he will finally have signed off on the list of promises - the only question remaining will be at what point he will retire.
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