Ben Johnson (American sprinter)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Benjamin Washington Johnson |
| Born | 1914 Virginia |
| Died | 1992 (aged 77–78) |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg) |
Ben Johnson (1914–1992) was an American sprinter who was considered a serious rival to Jesse Owens. Known as the "Columbia Comet", Johnson was the United States champion at 100 yards in 1938. Injury and the outbreak of the Second World War denied him the chance of competing in the Olympics.
In later life he became one of the first African-American colonels in the United States Army.
Born in Virginia, Johnson first achieved track success as a junior at Plymouth High School in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, breaking state records at 100 and 220 yards. He was invited to take part at the 1932 United States Olympic Trials but initially declined the offer because of the cost of travel. However, the local Plymouth townsfolk raised the funds to pay for his trip, calling it the "Ben Johnson Olympic Fund". At the trials themselves he was eliminated in a heat of the 200 yards.
Johnson attended Columbia University, majoring in Political science, and competing for the Columbia Lions track team.
The indoor season of 1935 saw him win the AAU indoor title at 60 yards, equaling Jesse Owens's world best time of 6.6 seconds. However, injury curtailed his outdoor season.
In 1936, the Olympic year, he was injured in the AAU Championships a week before the Olympic Trials.
In 1937 at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) outdoor championships, Johnson, now known by the moniker "The Columbia Comet", won titles as 100 yards, 220 yards, and the long jump - the first athlete in the twentieth century to do so., That year he also won the NCAA 220 yard title.
In 1938, at the Millrose Games, he won the 60 yard title in a reputed new world's best time of 6.0 seconds. However, the time was not accepted and so he had to be content with being credited with a time of 6.1 s, simply equaling the world's best time up to that point. In 1938, he also claimed his third AAU indoor title at 60 yards, having won previously in 1935 and 1937.
Johnson won the 100 yards in the AAU (USA National Track and Field) Championships in 1938. In the AAU championships, he was also 6th in 1936, 2nd in 1937 and 5th in 1939. As a result of such runs, in the 1938 season he was considered the world's pre-eminent sprinter. His season was curtailed unfortunately by him suffering from a bout of measles.
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