Some day soon the track at Olympic Stadium will be sold off. The stadium, after all, is being converted into a baseball park, and in keeping with the never-say-die spirit of commerce shown by the Games of Atlanta, an auction will be held for sections of the vulcanized rubber track that produced two world records, 13 Olympic records and countless dramas. What are we bid for the finish line of Lane 3?
It was over that section of track that the golden shoes flew. At precisely 9 p.m. last Thursday, the gun went off for the final of the 200 m, and with the fireflies of thousands of flash cameras sparkling in the night, Michael Johnson exploded from the blocks. He momentarily stumbled, then shifted into a gear previously known only to Mercury. The fireflies followed him as he came slinging out of the turn, obliterating the stagger and defying the laws of physics. According to Trinidad's Ato Boldon, who would finish third, "I saw a blue blur go by, whoosh, and thought, 'There goes first.'" As Johnson widened his lead, it was clear he was running for more than gold. Clyde Hart, Johnson's coach, later said, "I was in the stands in Mexico City when Bob Beamon long-jumped over 29 ft., and even when he was in the air, you just knew it was something special. Tonight, same thing." When Johnson crossed the finish line, a full 5 m ahead of silver medalist Frankie Fredericks of Namibia, the timer read 19.32 sec. People who knew the significance of the number blinked in disbelief. Johnson had broken his own world record of 19.66 by more than a third of a second, skipping right over the .50s and .40s. Oh, yes--he had also just become the first man in Olympic history to win both the 200 and the 400. What are we bid for the finish line of Lane 3? What are we bid for lasting greatness?
In a week of compelling track and field and a fortnight of exhilarating Olympic performances, Johnson's golden shoes left the biggest imprint. The Atlanta Games will and should be remembered for the bomb that killed Alice Hawthorne, 44, of Albany, Georgia, and they will and should serve as a manual on how not to transport people. But the sports themselves moved millions in Atlanta and at home. Track and field, in particular, was a treasure trove: a ninth gold medal for Carl Lewis in the long jump; redemption for Dan O'Brien in the decathlon; a world record in the 100 m for Donovan Bailey; a first-course 200/400 double for Marie-Jose Perec of France, Guadeloupe and Beverly Hills, California; and his-and-hers gold medals for triple jumper Kenny Harrison and his girlfriend, 100-m winner Gail Devers. Then there were the Johnsons: Allen, who won the 110-m hurdles; Michael; and Michael.