Gold Medalist Johnson Falters During Final 40 Meters At Paris

The once-unbeatable Michael Johnson is on a losing streak.

For the second time in as many races, Johnson was beaten to the finish line Wednesday, this time at 400 meters - a distance at which he had not lost in eight years.

Running in competition for the first time since a match-race loss at 150 meters to Donovan Bailey almost four weeks ago, the double-gold medalist from last summer’s Olympics finished fifth at the Gaz de France meet in Paris, passed in the final 40 meters and finishing in 45.76 seconds.

Antonio Pettigrew, who took the U.S. 400 title last month as Johnson skipped the meet with an injured thigh, won in 44.86 Johnson quickly left the stadium without talking to reporters, but his coach, Clyde Hart, said the runner was just out of shape.

Also at the meet, in a highly anticipated meeting between the two top 1,500 runners, indoor world-record holder Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco ran 3:31.87 to beat outdoor world-record holder Noureddine Morceli (3:33.98) of Algeria.

Arizona State’s track and field program was placed on two years’ probation by the NCAA for violations involving extra benefits, recruiting and ethical conduct.

Athletic department spokesman Mark Brand said the NCAA was merely “rubber-stamping” a two-year probation the Pacific-10 Conference placed on the program last June.