Michael Johnson made history when he broke the Olympic world records for the 200m and 400m sprints in Atlanta, 1996. Labelled ‘the man in the golden shoes’ after his world record win, he has accumulated 12 gold medals at the World Championships and is tied with Carl Lewis for the fourth-most gold medals won by a runner. Now working for the BBC as a pundit at the Commonwealth Games, where does the former-athlete live? Here’s a look inside Michael Johnson’s home life and property.
Where is Michael Johnson based?
Michael Johnson and his family reside in Malibu, California.
While the 54-year-old hasn’t shared much about his house, he did take to Instagram back in lockdown to share a shot of him in his bright garden to let fans in on a little secret.
The caption read: “Little known secret. I love DIY! Skills are decent. Sometimes things end up worse than before I started. But sometimes it all comes together…”
As a man “all about excellence in human performance”, the father of one spends little time on social media, and much more time focusing on his family and career.
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Not much else is known about his house, although naturally he does have his own home gym.
In 2018, he suffered a stroke while working out, telling the Guardian: “I hobbled over to my weights bench and thought, am I having a cramp or something?
His wife drove him to UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, just 20 minutes from their home, where a stroke was confirmed.
He said: “I’d been able to get off my bed, and on to the MRI table myself – but when the MRI ended 30 minutes later, I could no longer walk.
Does Michael Johnson live in the UK?
Since retiring from the track, Johnson has become a prominent commentator.
He worked as part of the BBC’s presenting team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, 2012 Olympic Games in London, 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and was one of the key pundits for athletics in Tokyo 2020.
While Michael Johnson was unable to fly out to Tokyo for his first pundit-role due to COVID-19, the Commonwealth Games will see the presenters and sporting experts speaking live at the event in Birmingham, England.
Mr Johnson will be joined by seven other athletics pundits at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, including:
- Denise Lewis
- Jess Ennis-Hill
- Colin Jackson
- Steve Cram
- Tanni Grey-Thompson
- Steve Backley
- Paula Radcliffe
While commentating on some of the world’s greatest sporting events is a busy commitment, Michael’s main job is at his Michael Johnson Performance, at McKinney, Texas.
The centre was opened in 2007 for youth athletes aged nine to 18 and professional athletes in all sports.
The Foundation also currently works with Arsenal, assisting in the development of young players in their academy.
So while his main home is in California, it seems he spends an awful lot of time in the UK.
