- Michael Johnson shared the remarkable progress he has made since his stroke
- America’s Double Olympic champion suffered a stroke 12 months ago
- Athletics legend struggled to walk initially but is now back running again
- He said: ‘I’m thankful to my family, friends, fans, and for the incredible support’
Double Olympic champion Michael Johnson has shared the incredible progress he has made since suffering a stroke 12 months ago.
Johnson, 51, posted footage of him struggling to walk in his first physical therapy session alongside a recent clip of him doing an agility ladders drill.
The athletics legend, who previously held the record for fastest man in the world at 200m and 400m, wrote on Twitter: ‘A year ago today I was unable to walk having suffered a stroke.
Michael Johnson has showed the incredible progress he has made since his stroke a year ago
Johnson (L) struggling to walk after his stroke compared to him doing a ladders agility drill (R)
‘Thanks to the mindset learned as an Olympian, 2 months later I was back running! Today I’m thankful to my family, friends, fans, and for the incredible support!’
It took Johnson 15 minutes to walk 200 metres during his first physical therapy session, but he remained determined to recover quicker than anyone had before.
Shortly after the stroke doctors told Johnson that the best hope of recovery was to quickly begin physical therapy.
He started the process two days later and is now back running again after months of hard work.
During his career Johnson won four Olympic gold metals and eight World Championships gold metals.
Johnson broke his own 200 metres record at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996
Johnson stands on the winners’ podium after winning 400m gold at 1996 Olympic Games
Johnson was one of the BBC presenting team at both the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro (pictured at the Athletics World Championships in 2015)
As well as holding the world record for the 400m race for 17 years, he also previously held the world indoor 400m race record.
He is widely considered as the one of the greatest sprinters in the history of the sport for his consistent results.
Johnson is still the only male athlete to ever win gold in the 200 metres and 400 metres events at the same Olympic games, which he did at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta.
After retiring from Olympic and world championship competition in 2008, Johnson went into sports commentary and punditry.
He regularly appears on BBC and was a member of their presenting team at both the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.
source:dailymail