Retired American sprinter Michael Johnson is recovering fast from the sudden stroke that left him numb of the left side of his body. The four-time Olympic gold medallist, who once was regarded to be the ‘world’s fastest man’, shared a heart-warming video on social media — exactly a year after suffering the transient ischemic attack – in which the former Olympian can be seen training with the help of an assistant. Johnson in the video is able to stand and use his left arm & leg as he tries to take one step at a time. Usain Bolt Birthday Special: Nine Powerful Quotes by World's Fastest Man.

Over a year now, since that attack Johnson uploaded a short video on Twitter. “A year ago today I was unable to walk having suffered a stroke. Thanks to the mindset learned as an Olympian, 2 months later I was back running! Today I’m thankful to my family, friends, fans, and @mjp360 for the incredible support! The legendary American sprinter said in his tweet.

American Sprinter Is Recovering Fast

The video had two clips – in the first Johnson is seeing handled by a trainer, who helps the eight-time World Championship gold medal winner, take one step at a time. In the second clip, Johnson is seen fully fit and running. He is engrossed in a training session. He received a lot of praise on social media for his will and courage that lead to such a speedy recovery.

Johnson, 51, was returning home after completing a training session when he felt numbness on the left side of his body. He was rushed to the hospital and later discovered that Johnson – world’s former fastest man in 200m and 400m – had suffered a stroke that has left one side of his body senseless.  I felt “a strange tingling down my arm and left side” and “decided not to take any chances,” he had told The Guardian in November last year, when still in recovery.

“After the MRI scan, I almost fell off the table. I could not walk or move my left leg,” he told the BBC. “The numbness of my arm was intense too. I could not feel my arm and moving my fingers was problematic. It was a lot of emotions. Once I was told I had suffered a stroke and I could not walk things get immediately real,” Johnson added in his interview to the British daily.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 31, 2019 04:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).