I te Hōngongoi 29, Johnson ngāwari riro te taitara 400 m Olympic ki te wā record Olympic o 43.49 hēkona, 0.92 hēkona i mua i te mētara hiriwa Roger Black o Great Britain. I te 200 mita whakamutunga i te Akuhata 1, i oma a Johnson i te 100 mita whakatuwhera i te 10.12 hēkona ka mutu te whakataetae i roto i te wa rekoata o te ao 19.32 hēkona, neke atu i te toru tekau o te hēkona te rekoata o mua i whakatauhia e ia i nga Whakamatau Orimipia o Amerika, i runga i te ara kotahi marama i mua atu - te whakapainga nui rawa atu i runga i te rekoata o te ao 200 m. I whakatauritea e ētahi kaitohutohu te mahinga ki te peke roa o Bob Beamon i te 1968 Summer Olympics i Mexico City. I te wa o te whakataetae, ka pakaru a Johnson i te uaua i tona waewae, i aukati i a ia ki te wikitoria i tana mētara koura tuatoru o nga Orimipia i te relay 4 × 400 m
i te wā i wikitoria ai a Team USA i te koura ahakoa kāore ia.