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Johnson retires from 200m

World record holder Michael Johnson has announced that he will not run the 200 metres any more.

Johnson, less than 24 hours previously, pulled out of the event during qualification trials in the US, with a pulled muscle. Which meant that he would not get to try for the double in the upcoming Sydney Olympics.

"There is nothing for me to gain from the 200 any more, so no more 200s for me," Johnson said. His decision was confirmed and ratified by coach Clyde Hart.

Hart added that Johnson had enough of the hype surrounding his supposed showdown, over the distance, with Maurice Greene. Who, ironically, did not complete the distance during the trials, either, pulling out with a hamstring tear. Thus, neither Greene nor Johnson will run the 200 in Sydney -- Johnson staying with the 400 and 400x4 relay, while Greene lines up for the 100 and 4x100 relay.

Johnson is scheduled to run 200s at Brussels in August, and Rieti in September, as part of the run up to Sydney. Coach Hart, however, said that the organisers would be asked to change his entry to the 400m events, and if they couldn't oblige, then Johnson wouldn't run over 200.

Johnson said that he had in any event decided not to run the 200 in Sydney. "This thing with Greene, I was totally sick of it," he said. "It became not about what guys have done and what they can do, but about who could talk the most trash. That is silly, I don't want to have anything to do with it."