Kenneth Johnson (athlete)
Kenneth Edward Johnson (born October 14, 1928 in Leicester , United Kingdom , † December 12, 2015 in Oadby) was a British long-distance and obstacle runner .
Kenneth Johnson began his sports career at Leicester College of Art and Technology as a cross-country runner . In 1949 he was national champion over a mile. In 1951 the obstacle course aroused his interest. Johnson built his own hurdle for training purposes and carried it on his shoulders from his apartment to the training ground and back. The following year he ran an obstacle race at the Midland Counties Championships . He won the race and broke the 26-year-old Midland record. At the British Championship a week later he finished 4th in the 3000 meter obstacle course . The race was won by John Disley with a new national record. Chris Brasher was in second place . Johnson was the third best Brit, as the Yugoslav guest runner Petar Šegedin came in third.
Johnson's achievements earned him a nomination in the Olympic squad for the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki . In Helsinki he started in the first heat, in which the first four athletes qualified for the final. With 9: 27.0 min he only crossed the finish line in seventh place and was eliminated.
A year later Johnson came in an international match with France as a substitute for the injured John Disley in the obstacle race. In 1954 he won the British championship. At the 1954 European Championship held in Bern in the same year , he was eliminated in advance. One of his last competitions was the Midland Championship in 1954, where he won the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Kenneth Johnson worked as an electrical engineer. In addition to athletics, he was particularly interested in cars, particularly Morris cars . He liked to take part in overland rallies with his car. He was the chairman of the Morris Register Club .
Kenneth Johnson passed away on December 12, 2015 after a long illness. He left his wife Hilda, two daughters and a son.
Web links
- Kenneth Johnson in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article in Leicester Mercury of 18 December 2015 (Engl.) ( Memento of the original December 22, 2015 Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johnson, Kenneth |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Johnson, Kenneth Edward (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British obstacle runner |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 14, 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Leicester |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 12, 2015 |
| Place of death | Oadby |