Book info

• Title
• Author Michael Johnson
• Year
• Genres

Thoughts

I managed to catch this book when it was momentarily free on Amazon, and then started reading midway through the Olympics. Already that made it a little bit out of date, as the big premise of the book is building up to the London 2012 games, but nevertheless I plowed on.

The book is made up of several chapters detailing what it is to take a gold medal at the Olympics - how much work goes in to it, all the unexpected things that come along with it, and what it’s like to try and stay at the top of your game. Michael Johnson talks us through his own career history, as well as interviewing other top athletes from track and field, plus swimming and cycling as well.

Johnson has his own inimitable style - cool, calm, collected. You’d almost go so far as to say emotionless, but it’s clear that he’s being honest and detailing his feelings, it’s just it comes across in a clinical fashion. The interviews sometimes feel a little shoehorned in, but overall, they add a lot to the insight provided. It’s not an earth-shattering book by any means, there’s a lot of repetition and really just hammers home the point that it is NOT easy. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and even moderately inspiring.

Rating: Unrated