15 greatest Olympians to appear on a Wheaties box

4. Michael Johnson, Track & Field

From the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo to Sydney 2000, Michael Johnson made his mark as one of the most consistent performers in track and field history.

The 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona was Johnson’s Olympic debut, but he arrived as a favorite after winning gold at the 1991 World Championships. Johnson suffered an untimely case of food poisoning just weeks before the games began, however, leaving him at less than full-strength. He would fail to place in the 200 meters, but received his first taste of Olympic gold as part of the world-record-setting United States 4 x 400 relay team.

Johnson returned to the Olympics for the 1996 Atlanta Games, determined to continue his success on home soil. There was no doubt that he did so, setting a pair of Olympic records and winning gold in the 200 and 400 meters.

Johnson’s Olympic record in the 200 meters was also a world-best, and it would remain so fore more than a decade until it was broken by Usain Bolt of Jamaica at Beijing 2008. This record-setting performance in Atlanta led to the creation of one of the more popular sports nicknames of the 1990’s: “The Fastest Man Alive”.

It was also after this feat that Johnson appeared on a Wheaties box for the first and only time.

Johnson earned gold medals in the 400 meters and 4 x 400 relay at the 2002 Summer Games, but it was later stripped after it was revealed that teammate Antonio Morrison had used performance-enhancing drugs

Johnson’s career is well-known for the fact he won a total of eight medals in Olympic and World Championship competition, and all eight were gold.

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