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November 24, 2009

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Johnson’s injury brings plea for change in qualifying rule

Wednesday, June 4, 1997 | 10:33 a.m.

"We won't campaign to get him on the team," Clyde Hart said Tuesday. "But we need to get the rule changed."

Johnson, sidelined possibly 2-4 weeks with an injured left quadricep sustained during Sunday's 150-meter match race against Donovan Bailey, is considered "extremely doubtful" for the national championships at Indianapolis, where the first three finishers in each event qualify for the World Championships at Athens in August.

If he doesn't compete next week, he would be ineligible for the world team, begging the question whether an athlete of Johnson's caliber and stature should be given an automatic berth on the team.

Johnson won world titles in the 200 meters in 1991 and 1995 and the 400 in 1993 and 1995. He swept boths events at last year's Olympics. He also is the world record-holder in the 200.

Hart noted that Johnson ran the 400 -- the event he likely would contest at Athens -- in 43.75 seconds in April, the fastest in the world this year and the fastest ever by anyone that early in the year.

"I don't think anyone will run that fast even at the World Championships," Hart said. "His workouts the last couple of weeks show that he was ready to run ... even much better than that. He was doing things he had never done before."

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