United States legendary sprinter Michael Johnson said he was “attacked” and “accused of racism” after questioning the quickness of the times in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Championships.
The backlash directed at Johnson began after the event’s semi-final on Sunday afternoon, when Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan stunned the field and the crowd in Eugene, Ore. by winning her heat with a time of 12.12 seconds and setting a new world record in the process. Amusan smashed the previous record by 0.08 seconds and led the rest of the particularly fast field into the finals.
However, Johnson was immediately skeptical of the times posted in the semifinals of the event.