JOHNSON'S GOLDEN YEAR : SPRINTER'S DOUBLE WAS HIGHLIGHT OF OLYMPICS.

Byline: Bert Rosenthal Associated Press

There was Michael Johnson - and there was the rest of the world.

Johnson, the splendid sprinter with the gold shoes, made track and field history in 1996 with mind-boggling performances. His accomplishments overshadowed those of everyone else, other world record-breakers included.

Johnson began his astonishing run at the U.S. Olympic trials in June, first winning the 400 meters in 43.44, the third-fastest time ever, then capping the meet at Atlanta by taking the 200 in 19.66, smashing the 17-year-old world record of 19.72.

That was only a prelude to what he would do at the Olympics.

He opened by winning the 400 by nearly a second - a whopping margin in such a short race - in 43.49, fourth fastest in history.

``The only way to beat Michael is to run a perfect race and have him make mistakes,'' silver medalist Roger Black of Britain said. ``But he doesn't make mistakes.''

Even when Johnson did make a mistake, it didn't matter.

After stumbling a little coming out of the blocks in the 200 final, Johnson put on a tremendous burst of speed around the curve and blasted down the straightaway. He stormed across the finish line first and the clock flashed a stunning 19.32, a world record.

Even Johnson couldn't believe it. He threw his arms wide and let out a scream of amazement and relief, providing one of the lasting images of the Atlanta Games.

``I knew coming off the curve that I was running faster than I ever had in my life. It's an incredible thrill,'' he said.

Getting an opportunity to try the sprint double, which no other man had achieved in the Olympics, was something Johnson had lobbied for, and track's governing body made a schedule change to accommodate him.

To accomplish such a feat after all the pressure he had put upon himself, in such astonishing fashion, was remarkable.

``If someone had told me Michael would run 19.32, I wouldn't have shown up,'' said Trinidad's Ato Boldon, bronze medalist in the 200. ``That was just amazing.''

There were other amazing performances at the Games, but none as overpowering as Johnson's.

France's Marie-Jose Perec matched Johnson with her own double, winning the women's 200 in 22.12 and 400 in an Olympic-record 48.25. Russia's Svetlana Masterkova also was a double winner, sweeping the women's 800 and 1,500.

Donovan Bailey, the muscular Canadian, set a world record of 9.84 in the men's 100 as a strong American field faltered. Carl Lewis, 35, the first American man to make five Olympic teams, capped his glorious Olympic career by winning his ninth gold medal. His fourth long jump gold tied the record for the most ever in the same event.

Dan O'Brien, the king of the multi-event athletes, finally won his first Olympic gold in the decathlon with 8,824 points, the year's best score.

Josia Thugwane became the first black South African to win an Olympic gold medal, taking the men's marathon. Burundi got its first gold medal ever, as Venuste Niyongabo won the men's 5,000, and Syria also became a first-time gold medalist as Ghada Shouaa took the women's heptathlon.

The United States topped the rest of the world with 23 medals in track and field, including 13 golds. No other country had more than three golds.

Outside of the Olympics, other meets also produced scintillating performances, including eight outdoor world records.

The other record-breakers included Masterkova in the women's mile (4:12.56) and the 1,000 (2:28.98); Daniel Komen of Kenya in the men's 3,000 (7:20.67) and the two miles (8:03.54); Salah Hissou of Morocco in the men's 10,000 (26:38.08); Olympic gold medalist Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic in the men's javelin (323 feet, 1 inch); Mihaela Melinte of Romania in the women's hammer throw (227-9), and Emma George of Australia in the women's pole vault (14-7-1/4).

Among other milestones:

- Morocco's Hicham El Guerroudj ended Algerian Nourredine Morceli's 4-year, 35-meet winning streak at the 1,500 Grand Prix finals at Milan, Italy.

- Wilson Kipketer posted five sub-1:43s in the 800, including a 1:41.83, the fastest in the world since 1984. The Kenya native had been living in Denmark but wasn't allowed to compete in the Olympics because he hadn't yet obtained Danish citizenship.

- Jamaica's Merlene Ottey won the women's 100 at the Grand Prix finals in 10.74, making her the No. 2 performer all-time, behind Florence Griffith Joyner.

- Johnson extended his 400-meter winning streak to 57 at the Grand Prix finals. Earlier in the year, his 21-race winning streak in the 200 was snapped by Frank Fredericks of Namibia. Fredericks also set a season record with eight sub-20 second clockings in the 200.

- Olympic champion Astrid Kumbernuss of Germany extended her winning streak in the shot put to 47.

- Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers matched a U.S. record by running the women's 100 under 10 seconds 11 times.

- Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the world record-holder in the heptathlon and two-time Olympic champion, was beaten for the first time since 1984 in a competition in which she finished, placing second at the U.S. trials. Due to injury, she dropped out of the Olympic heptathlon after one event.

- Obadele Thompson of Barbados ran the fastest 100 under any conditions, a wind-aided 9.69 at El Paso, Texas.

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Photo: Michael Johnson's Olympic sprinting victories in the 200 and the 400 were the best of the year's running performances.

Associated Press