Both suffered hamstring injuries, Johnson some 50 meters into the race and Greene some 50 meters afterward. In the end, there was Capel, the Quiet Man, streaming down Lane 8 to a personal best of 19.85. It earned Capel a trip to the Olympics and proved he did not make a mistake by leaving the University of Florida football team in an attempt to qualify. It also showed he's pretty handy with a mute button. To some, this race will be less memorable for the way it finished than the dreams it finished.
Celebrity is that way.
A lot more highlights will be shown today of Johnson lying on the track, holding his left leg aloft, and of Greene peeling down that Kermit-green singlet of his and limping away, than of Capel crossing the finish line. It was the second time Sunday that Capel beat them. He was in the first heat with them, and he won even though Johnson and Greene managed to finish upright. I would have loved to have run against him at 100 percent. I may have beaten him, and I may not have.