Famous Athlete (Runner) Male

Michael Johnson

Born in Dallas in 1967, Johnson is a superb 200m, 400m, and 4x100m relay athlete. He is renowned for his golden shoes which he wears in each race. After his stunning double-gold performance in the 1996 Olympics, Johnson became the first man ever to defend an Olympic title in the 400m at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He has been ranked #1 in the world in 400m ten times and  #1 in 200m five times.

Michael Duane Johnson (born September 13, 1967 in Dallas, Texas) is a retired American sprinter who holds the current world records in the 200 meters, 400 meters, and 4 x 400 m relay. He also has run the fastest 300 meters of all time, an event not recognized by the IAAF. He won five Olympic gold medals and was crowned world champion nine times.

He is the only male sprint athlete in history to win both the 200 m and 400 m events at the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Johnson is the only man to successfully defend his Olympic title in the 400 m.

Johnson was noted for his unique running style. His upright stance and very short steps defied the perceived wisdom that a high knee lift was essential for maximum speed.

Achievements

Famous Athlete (Runner) Female

Sonia O Sullivan

Sonia O'Sullivan (born November 28, 1969) is an Irish runner from Cobh, County Cork. In 1987 she first won gold in the Irish Cross Country Championships at the age of seventeen in the junior and senior races.

She was one of the leading female 5000 m runners for most of the 1990s and early 2000s. Her crowning achievement was a Gold medal at the 1995 World Athletics Championships. She won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics, narrowly beaten by the Romanian Gabriela Szabo and in front of third placed Ethiopian Gete Wami. She has won three European Championship Gold Medals and two World Cross-Country Championship Gold Medals.

On February 14, 2007, the multi-medalist has said that she plans to hang up her spikes after the Great Ireland Run on April 15, after saying last year that she intended to run competitively until the 2012 Olympic Games in London.[1] Sonia later dismissed the rumors that she is retiring after the BUPA Great Ireland Run, adding that she will be retiring at the end of the season this year.

Performances at major championships

1988 World Junior Championships 3000 m Heats

1990 European Championships 3000 m 11th

1991 World Student Games 1500 m GOLD, 3000 m SILVER

1992 World Cross-Country Championships 7th; Olympic Games 3000 m 4th, 1500 m Semi-Finals

1993 World Championships 3000 m 4th, 1500 m SILVER

1994 European Championships 3000 m GOLD

1995 World Championships 5000 m GOLD

1996 Olympic Games 5000 m DNF in Final, 1500 m Heats

1997 World Indoor Championships 3000 m SILVER; World Cross-Country Championships 9th; World Championships 1500 m 8th, 5000 m Heats

1998 World Cross-Country Championships Long Race GOLD, Short Race GOLD; European Championships 10000 m GOLD, 5000 m GOLD

2000 World Cross-Country Championships Long Race 7th, Short Race 15th; Olympic Games 5000 m SILVER, 10000 m 6th

2001 World Indoor Championships 3000 m 7th, 1500 m 9th; World Cross-Country Championships Short Race DNF

2002 World Cross-Country Championships Short Race 7th; World Half Marathon Championships 14th; European Championships 10000 m SILVER, 5000 m SILVER

2003 World Championships 5000 m 15th; European Cross-Country Championships 4th

2004 Olympic Games 5000 m 14th; World Half Marathon Championships 4th

Personal bests

•        800 m - 2:00.69 NR (July 1994)

•        1000 m - 2:34.66 NR (July 1993)

•        1500 m - 3:58.85 NR (July 1995)

•        1 Mile - 4:17.25 WR (July 1994)

•        2000 m - 5:25.36 WR (July 1994)

•        3000 m - 8:21.64 NR (ER 1994-2002) (July 1994)

•        5000 m - 14:41.02 NR (September 2000)

•        10000 m - 30:47.59 NR (August 2002)

•        Half Marathon - 67:19 NR (October 2002)

•        Marathon - 2:29:01 (April 2005)