Johnson congratulates Bolt

BEIJING (TICKER) —Michael Johnson on Thursday congratulated Usain Bolt on breaking his 200-meter record and believes the Jamaican has taken his place among sprinting’s greats.

The 22-year-old Bolt broke Johnson’s 12-year-old mark set in the 1996 Olympics, finishing in 19.30 seconds in the final on Wednesday. The result was 0.02 seconds faster than Johnson’s mark.

Johnson also expects Bolt to lower both the 100- and 200-meter records as well.

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

Johnson also believes that the world has not seen the best of Bolt.

“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.”