Johnson: Bolt one of the greats

Michael Johnson has congratulated Usain Bolt on breaking his 200m record and believes the Jamaican has taken his place among sprinting’s greats.

Bolt, 22 today, won in 19.30sec, 0.02sec quicker than Johnson’s 12-year-old record.

Johnson also expects Bolt to lower both the 100m and 200m records even further.

Johnson told the Daily Telegraph: “Every now and again along comes an athlete for the times and I believe Usain Bolt is that athlete.

“It happened for me in 1996, it happened with Carl Lewis in 1996 and Jesse Owens in 1936 and now it is happening for Usain.

“He doesn’t just want to win races and medals, he wants to test the limits of human ability. I am happy for him and I congratulate him on breaking my record.

“And yet, despite all has achieved in Beijing, I still believe he can run faster and take both records even lower. There is still much more to come from Usain Bolt.”