Michael Johnson in the 200m at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996 (© Getty Images)
Double Olympic champion Michael Johnson withdrew from the U.S. athletics championships on Friday after straining his right quadriceps in training, his manager said.
Johnson, the world 200m record holder, had been scheduled to meet world 100m record holder Maurice Greene in a heavily publicised 200m showdown on Sunday.
"The withdrawal means Johnson will now run the 400m in Seville's world championships in August", Brad Hunt, his manager, said.
As the defending 400m champion Johnson has a wild card into the world championships.
"He's very disappointed," Hunt said. "But it is a stitch in time to save nine. He wants to run fast times in Europe this summer."
Hunt said Johnson suffered the injury while training in Eugene on Thursday. He did not tell reporters about it during a Friday morning news conference because he wanted to test it again, Hunt said.
"He felt a twinge and decided not to run. If it had been a do-or-die situation, he probably would have run," Hunt said.
Clyde Hart, Johnson's coach, said Johnson could recover within a few days or it may take several weeks.
Reuters for the IAAF
