There is a different type of pressure when defending an Olympic championship. Neeraj Chopra is expected to have at least a second gold medal when he takes to the track in Paris with javelin in hand. American athlete Michael Johnson knows what it takes to win an Olympic gold medal. In 2000, he won his second Olympic gold in the 400 metres in Sydney, after a difficult training period plagued by injuries. "Being the defending champion has its own pressures and is really challenging. Speaking on the sidelines of the Laureus World Sports Awards 2024, Johnson said, "There are times when an athlete should lose and other times they are expected to lose." to win. "Everyone in India , a lot of people will be rooting for him to win," Chopra said. 

Athletes are not all the same. It's possible and I've done it. It has an edge where you believe you can overcome it. You've done it . You also exude the confidence of a winner. It will influence your opponents to believe that the guy is the one you shouldn't pay attention to. So it's reciprocal." Based on his results over the past two years, Chopra was motivated by an incredible gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. In addition, he is now a world champion and has won medals in other important competitions since his Olympics. success in 2021. With his own amazing career that has included eight World Championship gold medals and four Olympic gold medals, Johnson believes that controlling expectations is a critical aspect of an athlete's success, and how you deal with it depends on how you deal with it. Expectations are shared by the nation as a whole and you and your supporters moderate those expectations especially when you are going to focus solely on things within your power after the Covid Olympics

He expects strong performances at the Paris Olympics, especially given the enthusiasm of returning fans from the Covid-curtailed Tokyo Games. Many athletes have expressed to me how much they miss the enthusiasm of the spectators in the stadium.

With huge stakes in every event, the Olympics have an exciting quality for everyone. These athletes are the greatest of the best. Each of them prepared for it. Although there are many who aspire to be champions, only one will take home the gold medal. At the last minute, there will be drama. The athletes will be aiming for a trip to Paris with the hope of winning a gold medal, even if they don't think they will be able to get the gold. When this happens, the storytelling is truly remarkable.

 There are other athletes who enter as strong favourites and win nothing or only silver. Any incident, any kind of drama is what it is. There never seems to be a shortage of drama when Noah Lyles is competing. He is hailed as a showman the sport hasn't had since Usain Bolt retired. Along with Novak Djokovic, Armand Duplantis, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Max Verstappen, Lyles is nominated for the "Laureus World Sportsman of the Year" award. Lyles won the treble at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.

Johnson feels that the main emphasis should be on performances, not specific people. "Sports are home to many outstanding athletes. We need to abandon the notion that athletes must have moral qualities. We need to tell competitive stories that we haven't finished. Most people watch sports for that."