"RIP"- Track world mourns the death of legendary coach who trained Michael Johnson, Sanya Richards-Ross and many top athletes

The legendary coach who trained the track and field phenom, Michael Johnson, Clyde Hart, passed away at the age of 91. Along with Johnson, he also coached several other top athletes, including Sanya Richards-Ross.

Hart was one of the prominent personalities of the track and field coaching faculty, as he shaped an established career for himself by coaching some of the top athletes, including Johnson, Richards-Ross, Jeremy Wariner, and more. He was named Baylor's head track & field coach at the age of 28 in 1963, and after serving for almost 56 years, he retired in 2019. From training several Olympic champions to winning multiple national coach of the year honors, he made a name for himself in the community.

After a legendary coaching career, Hart passed away on November 1, 2025, following his battle with cancer. The track world mourned his loss on social media, as the media house, close Mag, shared the news on Instagram. The post included a picture of the late coach, and the caption highlighted his achievements throughout his career.

"Coach Clyde Hart has died at 91 years old after a legendary coaching career at @baylortrack. Coach Hart transformed the sport by coaching Olympic champions such as @mjgold4, @sanyarichiross and @jwariner43. 🙏 He guided his teams to 20 NCAA titles in the 4x400m relay and coached 34 individual NCAA champions. He also coached nine Olympians who earned 13 gold medals and built Baylor’s track and field program into what became known as ‘Quarter-Miler U’.The news of his passing was first reported by @bricecherry73 of the @wacotrib."

Michael Johnson trained under coach Hart for 15 years, starting his journey under him as a freshman at Baylor University. The latter was his only coach during his professional career.

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When Michael Johnson opened up about defending his 400m title at the Sydney Olympics despite being injured at the US trials

Michael Johnson has won four Olympic gold medals in his career, out of which one of the most prominent performances by him was during the 2000 Sydney Games, where he defended his 400m title despite being injured during the US trials. The American had pulled his hamstring during the 200m final at the US trials, falling short of qualifying for the race; however, the 400m trials had been held before this race.

Despite this injury, the former track and field athlete went on to gracefully defend his 400m title. Last year, a video of this final made rounds on the internet, and reposting it on his X wall, he recalled the story, calling it his 'proudest achievement.'

"Not my normal 43 low standard but one of my proudest achievements. Injured in the 200 at US Trials, I spent two months rehabbing and trying to maintain fitness. No races to prepare. I pulled out the win based purely on experience. And finished my career with all gold medals," wrote Michael Johnson.

In 2024, Michael Johnson announced the launch of his track league, Grand Slam Track, and the first season of the events started in April 2025. However, after the execution of three meets, the fourth meet had to be canceled, citing financial concerns.

Edited by Tushhita Barua