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Gold Rush
 
 

Gold Rush [Kindle Edition]

Michael Johnson
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Review

“Essential Reading” The Observer

Product Description

'Elite athletes aren't born. They're made.'
Michael Johnson
From a living icon of the Olympic Games – as both an athlete and now as a BBC broadcaster – Gold Rush is a compelling analysis of the fascinating combination of psychological and personal qualities, as well as internal and external factors, that go to create an Olympic champion.

This exciting new book is based on Michael Johnson's own experiences as an iconic four-time Olympic champion, and on the knowledge he has gleaned as a top-class coach and motivational speaker. It also features, uniquely, more than a dozen exclusive and insightful interviews with Olympic legends from across several different sports who between them have claimed more than 50 gold medals over the past 30 years.
In essence, Johnson has assembled his very own Olympic Hall of Fame in assessing the DNA of true champions.
Gold Rush is themed around chapters in which Johnson will discuss each of the key qualities/factors. He expertly feeds in fascinating first-person testimonies from the Olympic legends. In the process he builds up a definitive knowledge bank of expertise and experience from athletes who have been on this fascinating journey, encountered the highs and the lows, but ultimately reached the summit - an Olympic gold medal.
Johnson's interviewees include: Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis, Sally Gunnell, Seb Coe, Daley Thompson, Cathy Freeman, Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps, Rebecca Adlington, Chris Hoy, Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, Lennox Lewis and Michael Jordan.


Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 2527 KB
  • Print Length: 320 pages
  • Publisher: HarperSport (15 Sep 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B005IGZUXS
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #82,299 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars The greatest! 6 Nov 2011
By P. T. Harries VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Michael Johnson is one of the greatest Olympian athletes of all time and makes sure that we know it. He talks of his trials & tribulations, his analyses of triumphs & failures, seasons the accounts with interjections from other greats, together with his opinions of them and makes mention of his business developing athletes and sports people generally.

It is interesting, without being exciting. Very like the man himself, when seen on TV commentating on athletics events, his delivery is measured and positive and seldom goes over the top. His fervour is confined to a limited number of topics, which include his hatred of drugs and his amazement at the abilities of Usain Bolt, his successor as the greatest sprinter of all time, while managing to have fun as well!

Mr Johnson has a soft spot for the UK and regards himself as an honorary Brit; which is - to most of us - as nice a compliment as you can get. His book is a very useful technical treatise for any aspiring athlete or administrator; both these categories will find the content fascinating. The reader of (auto)biographies will also enjoy an insight into how those in that elite bracket of athleticism work (and I mean WORK) their way to the top.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Great athelete but could write more succintly 1 Jan 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this book but was left with the feeling that, whilst there is no question on Johnson's ability on the track, his writing can seem repetitive. I found this particularly marked during the middle of the book in the chapter about mind games. It is good to know that MJ is as tough in his head as he is on the track, but I don't need reminding throughout the book that his goal is to win. He is one serious dude and it is nice to see that many of the atheletes that MJ respects are British and to read of the back-room tactics that you don't see on the TV or track. Whatever you think about MJ, we need people like him to uphold the values of sport and I take my hat off to him concerning his no tolerance of drugs.

I recommend that you buy it, but skip the winning mantra bits that are ever-present and make it a little tough going (Editor, where were you with your red marker strike-throughs?)
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars They are the Champions 6 Aug 2012
By Quicksilver TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
With Great Britain taking three golds in the Olympic Stadium this weekend, there could hardly have been a better time to be reading Michael Johnson's Gold Rush. As one the greatest Olympians of all time he is ideally placed to offer an insight into what makes an Olympic champion.

The short answer is talent and hard work. For this book Johnson draws on his own experience and interviews with other great Olympic gold medallists. Usain Bolt, Nadia Commenic and Ian Thorpe all contribute, as do British legends Chris Hoy, Steve Redgrave and Rebecca Addlington.

Perhaps the best thing about this book, is that as you read, you can hear Johnson's authoritative baritone telling you his experiences. The calm and unsensational delivery that makes him such an assured pundit on television, sets the tone for the book. Johnson is a man who knows about being an elite athlete.

The book's opening chapters deal mainly with Johnson's early career and the trials and tribulations up until he won double gold in Atlanta. After that he goes on to talk about remaining focused, coping with the pressures of fame and the temptations of performance enhancing substances (and his abhorrence of them).

The book does have a flaw, and it's one that mirrors elite sport. It's repetitive. Much as athlete training consists of endless repeats of training routines, Johnson's book repeats the same mantras over and over again. Focus, strategy, execute, these words turn up again and again. We hear endlessly about Michael's training programmes, and frankly they are only interesting to read about once.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By G. J. Oxley TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
If you weren't already aware, the Olympic Games take place in London in 2012. This promises two things in the publishing world: i) there will be the usual rush by publishers to pump out books with an Olympic theme; ii) because they're being held on home soil, multiply the usual number of volumes by three.

This early entry - on what it takes to make an Olympic champion - comes from one of the greatest Olympians of all: Texan, Michael Johnson.

I would contend that Michael Johnson is not only the most articulate and intelligent broadcaster on athletics in the UK, he's the most articulate and intelligent of any sports broadcaster in this country, period. So, then `Gold Rush' should be very good - and indeed, largely it is.

In this book, he shares his own experiences and philosophy on what worked for him - identifying natural ability, hard work, focus, physical conditioning and the right mental attitude among other key factors. Oh, and of course, the help of a great coach. He has also spoken at length to, and supplies quotes from, a dozen other Great Olympians to provide examples on how they achieved greatness. Naturally, as an `adopted Brit' and mindful of his target audience, a good half of these athletes are British.

Much of 'Gold Rush' naturally concentrates on Michael's own brilliant career. He explains how food poisoning cost him the 200m gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics, and gives us the inside story behind THOSE famous gold running spikes. He also mentions that while he was perceived by other athletes and the media as stand-offish, he was merely mentally preparing himself for his races.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Insight
This book gives an interesting insight into the life and approach of an elite athlete. It clearly demonstrates that success is due to hard work and consistent effort rather than a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Alison
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth A Punt
If you are hoping for a warts-and-all autobiography from Michael Johnson, you're going to be disappointed (there's a solitary mention of having dated supermodel Tyra Banks, for... Read more
Published 5 months ago by SugarRay
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for althletics fans
If you enjoyed the Olympics and want to know more about the athletes, then this is the book for you.
Michael Johnson is one of the greatest sprinters of all time. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mikeoxo
4.0 out of 5 stars Gold Rush
A really good read, concise and inspirational from a man who really knows what he is talking about - 'been there done that' with no messing about. Give it a read, it's worth it.
Published 8 months ago by adirunner
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
As a non-athlete, who has never run or competed in sport, I found this book really interesting. I was a little worried when Michael Johnson started talking about the technical... Read more
Published 10 months ago by rachelcreative
3.0 out of 5 stars More sports oriented
Found this to be more suitable for a sportsperson, rather than for the layman.
Was expecting bit more biography and not training related matters.
Published 10 months ago by Vijay
3.0 out of 5 stars Jack of all trades, master of none
Considering my self-admitted voracious appetite for sports writing, I found this book difficult to get into. Read more
Published 12 months ago by SportsBioFan
3.0 out of 5 stars olympics cash in
I was going to get this book as i thought it would have more about Johnson's personal experience acting as a coach and mentor. Read more
Published 13 months ago by sam
5.0 out of 5 stars Golden
We all know what Michael Johnson achieved at the Olympics and World Championships. This goes some way to telling you how. Natural talent is never enough. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Donald Thompson
3.0 out of 5 stars Please stop telling us you're a top-class athlete !
This review has been written with some highly objective input from my daughter who, for a number of years, has competed regularly in triathlon events and, last year, successfully... Read more
Published 14 months ago by T. D. Dawson
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Popular Highlights

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&quote;
‘the glory of sport comes from dedication, determination and desire. Achieving success and personal glory in athletics has less to do with wins and losses than it does with learning how to prepare yourself so that at the end of the day, whether on the track or in the office, you know that there was nothing more you could have done to reach your ultimate goal.’ &quote;
Highlighted by 8 Kindle users
&quote;
Daley Thompson is one of the most physically talented people ever, a trait he wasn’t reticent to acknowledge during our interview. ‘I’ve met only a couple of people, Michael, that I feel were more physically talented or naturally gifted than I,’ he said. Then he added, ‘I’ve only met a couple of people who I feel probably worked harder than me. But I’ve never met anyone that I felt has both of those.’ &quote;
Highlighted by 7 Kindle users
&quote;
Once I started training, my position was simply that every day was an opportunity for me to get better. So with that in mind, any day I missed training or any day I didn’t give 100 per cent of the effort I was capable of giving would have been a missed opportunity. &quote;
Highlighted by 6 Kindle users

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