It was 1996 when Michael Johnson rocked the running world with his blistering performance at the Atlanta Olympic Games. Not only did the American sprinter and international legend win Olympic gold in the 200m final, but he also smashed the world record along the way.

When the Olympics came to town in Atlanta 1996, Johnson was already the world record-holder for the 200m sprint, having run a time of 19.66 seconds at the US trials in Mexico City a couple of months before.

It was in that competition that Johnson broke the 17-year reign of Italian sprinter Pietro Mennea, who ran a...time of 19.72 seconds in the 1979 World University Games. Almost two decades later, and the man with the golden shoes crossed the line in 19.66 seconds in Mexico City, before breaking his own record in Atlanta with an even faster time of 19.32 seconds.

In this up-close-and-personal video, Johnson’s immense strength and speed are clear to see. While the cameras flash and the crowds roar, you can see in slow-motion Johnson pounding towards victory in his trademark gold shoes.

Johnson’s 200m world record remained untouched for 12 years. The Olympic Games went to Sydney and Athens before Johnson’s achievement was finally beaten at Beijing 2008 – the same year Johnson hung up his golden shoes and officially retired from the track.

Leaving opponents trailing in his wake, the new record holder was Usain Bolt from Jamaica. Donning his own pair of golden shoes – perhaps the secret to success in the 200m – Bolt powered down the track with speed and personality quite unlike anything we’d ever seen, stealing Johnson’s crown with a new time of 19.30 seconds.

No hard feelings, though. In fact, the UK’s Telegraph reported that Johnson was rooting for Jamaica all the way, “smiling and giving Bolt the thumbs up” from the stands.

Though a new world record has since been set, the scenes from Atlanta 1996 are iconic. Lose yourself in the action of the men’s 200m final, second by heart-pounding second, in this video of Michael Johnson – the original man with the golden shoes.