Patrick Johnson (sprinter)

For other people named Patrick Johnson, see Patrick Johnson (disambiguation).

Patrick Johnson (born 26 September 1972 in Cairns, Queensland, Australia) is an Australian athlete of Aboriginal descent. He is the current Oceanian and Australian record holder in the 100 metres with a time of 9.93 seconds, achieved in Mito, Japan, on 5 May 2003. With that time he became the first person not of African ancestry to break the 10-second barrier (Frankie Fredericks, a Namibian, had been the first non-West-African in 1991). The time has made him the 17th fastest man in history at the time and 38th man to crack the 10-second barrier. He was regarded as the fastest man of non-African descent before Christophe Lemaitre ran 9.92 seconds in French National Championships in Albi on 29 July 2011. His personal best also makes him the fastest Oceanian in history.

He reached the finals in both the 100 and 200 metres at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and the 200m final in the 2005 World Championships, where he finished 6th. He represented Australia at the Olympic Games in 2000. He finished his career with one Commonwealth Games medal: a bronze in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Personal life

Johnson's mother was an Indigenous Australian and his father is Irish.

External links

• Patrick Johnson profile at IAAF
• Australian Story - ABC TV