Allen Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Allen Johnson

Johnson at 2007 ISTAF Berlin
Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(1971-03-01) March 1, 1971 (age 54) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Residence	Irmo, South Carolina, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in
Weight	165 lb
Sport
Sport	Sprint
Event(s)	Hurdling
College team	North Carolina Tar Heels
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta 110 m hurdles World Championships Gold 1995 Gothenburg 110 m hurdles Gold 1997 Athens 110 m hurdles Gold 2001 Edmonton 110 m hurdles Gold 2003 Paris 110 m hurdles Bronze 2005 Helsinki 110 m hurdles World Indoor Championships Gold 1995 Barcelona 60 m hurdles Gold 2003 Birmingham 60 m hurdles Gold 2004 Budapest 60 m hurdles Silver 2008 Valencia 60 m hurdles IAAF World Cup Gold 2006 Athens 110 m hurdles Silver 1994 London 110 m hurdles Silver 2002 Madrid 110 m hurdles

Allen Kenneth Johnson (born March 1, 1971) is a famous American athlete. He was a top competitor in hurdling, a type of running race where athletes jump over barriers. Allen Johnson won a gold medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He also became a world champion four times!

Allen was born in Washington, D.C.. He was a very talented athlete in many sports. When he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was great at high jump, long jump, and a multi-event sport called decathlon, as well as hurdles. In 1992, he won the indoor championship for 55-meter hurdles.

Allen Johnson's Amazing Career

Allen Johnson faced some injuries in 2000. Even with these challenges, he still made it to the final race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He finished fourth, just missing out on another medal.

Winning World Championships

In 2003, at the Stade de France, Allen Johnson won his fourth IAAF World Championships in Athletics title in the 110-meter hurdles. He beat another great athlete, Terrence Trammell, to take the gold. This win meant he had more world championship gold medals than Greg Foster, who had won three.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Allen had some bad luck. He tripped over a hurdle during an early race and couldn't finish. This meant he couldn't compete in the final. However, he was still considered the world's best in his event throughout 2004.

Coaching and Retirement

Allen Johnson was coached by Curtis Frye at the University of South Carolina. After his own racing career, he became a volunteer assistant coach there. He also coached sprint and hurdles at the United States Air Force Academy. Today, Allen Johnson is the Assistant Head Coach at North Carolina State University.

His fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles was 12.92 seconds. This was very close to the world record at the time, which was 12.91 seconds, held by Colin Jackson. Allen Johnson finished 11 races in under 13 seconds, which was a record for the most until Grant Holloway achieved 12 such finishes in September 2024. Allen officially stopped competing in July 2010, when he was 39 years old. His daughter, Tristine Johnson, also competed in track and field at his old university.

Major Achievements

(All achievements are for 110 Meter Hurdles unless noted)

• 1994
  • 1994 IAAF World Cup – London, England
    • Silver Medal
• 1995
  • 1995 World Championships in Athletics – Gothenburg, Sweden
    • Gold Medal
  • 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Barcelona, Spain
    • 60 Meter Hurdles, Gold Medal
• 1996
  • 1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta, Georgia
    • Gold Medal, setting an Olympic record
• 1997
  • 1997 World Championships in Athletics – Athens, Greece
    • Gold Medal
• 1998
  • 1998 Goodwill Games – Uniondale, New York
    • Silver Medal
• 2000
  • 2000 Summer Olympics – Sydney, Australia
• 2001
  • 2001 World Championships in Athletics – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
    • Gold Medal
  • Goodwill Games – Brisbane, Australia
    • Gold Medal
• 2002
  • 2002 IAAF World Cup – Madrid, Spain
    • Silver Medal
• 2003
  • 2003 World Championships in Athletics – Paris, France
    • Gold Medal
  • 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Birmingham, England
    • 60 Meter Hurdles, Gold Medal
• 2004
  • 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Budapest, Hungary
    • 60 Meter Hurdles, Gold Medal
• 2005
  • World Championships in Athletics – Helsinki, Finland
    • Bronze Medal
• 2006
  • IAAF World Cup – Athens, Greece
    • 110 Meter Hurdles, Gold Medal

Images for kids

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  Silver medal icon

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  Gold medal icon

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  Bronze medal icon

See also

In Spanish: Allen Johnson para niños