Kibwé Johnson
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | July 17, 1981 |
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
Weight | 107 kg (236 lb) |
Sport | |
Country | ![]() |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | Hammer throw |
Updated on 22 July 2015 |
Kibwé Johnson (born July 17, 1981) is an American Olympic track and field athlete who specializes in the hammer throw. He has represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics three times (2007, 2011, and 2015). Competed in the 2012 London Olympics where he made the final and finished 9th. No American had made the final since 1996. Johnson competed in 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
He is a three-time medalist at the Pan American Games, having taken silver in 2007 and improved to the gold in 2011 (where he broke the Games record), and then repeated in 2015 in Toronto. He set his personal best of 80.31 meters (263 feet 6 inches) in 2011. He was the 2011 USA Outdoor Champion in the hammer throw and the 2008 USA Indoor Champion in the weight throw where he recorded the second best mark in US history.
Career
[edit]Born in San Francisco, he initially started as a discus thrower, before starting to focus more on the hammer while studying at the University of Georgia. Johnson later moved to Moorpark Junior College in Moorpark, California before finishing at Ashland University where he later graduated and represented them in NCAA Division II competitions.[1] He competed at the 2004 United States Olympic Trials in both the discus and hammer, placing eighth and 19th respectively.[2] He placed third in the weight throw at the 2005 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and threw a best of 24.54 meters (80 feet 6 inches) at the Oiler Open meet – a distance which ranked him as the third best American and eleventh best ever in the history of the event.[3] A personal record hammer throw of 78.25 m in May saw him rank third nationally that year. He was the runner-up in the weight throw at the 2006 USA Indoors, then finished in fourth place in the hammer throw at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships later that year.[2]
Johnson had his breakthrough season in 2007. He won the discus event at the Mt. SAC Relays then came runner-up in the hammer at the 2007 USA Outdoors.[2] Making his international debut at the 2007 Pan American Games, he had a throw of 73.23 m on his final attempt, which brought him the silver medal behind Canada's James Steacy.[4] Johnson was selected to represent the United States at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, but failed to record a valid throw in the qualifying round. In spite of this he remained positive about the experience and fellow throwers Tore Gustafsson and Koji Murofushi offered him encouragement and technical advice.[1] In 2008 he won the USA Indoors weight throw title – his first win at national level – but he fouled out at the 2008 Olympic Trials later in the season.[2] This frustrating result was the catalyst for his move to train with Dr. Bondarchuk.
After missing much of 2009, he returned to form in 2010 as he finished as runner-up in the hammer at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships (throwing 76.31 m). A personal best throw of 80.31 m at the 2011 USA Outdoors saw Johnson take his first ever national outdoor title. As national champion, he gained his second opportunity to compete on the global stage at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, but his best throw of 75.06 m in qualifying was not enough to reach the final.[2] He was also chosen to represent his country at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara. At the competition he improved from his silver in 2007 to take the gold medal with a Pan American Games record mark of 79.63 m, improving Lance Deal's record from 1999.[5]
In the last ten years, Kibwé has won 5 US Championships with 3 runner-up finishes. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, finishing 8th in the men's hammer final.[6] One of the most versatile throwers of all time, he has the unofficial world record for combination of Hammer throw (80.31 m; 263 ft 6 in), Discus (65.11 m; 213 ft 7 in), indoor weight throw (25.12 m; 82 ft 5 in).
Personal life
[edit]He is coached by former Soviet Olympic champion and coach, Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk. He is married to Crystal Smith Johnson, a former Canadian champion and record holder who also trained with Bondarchuk.[27] They have two daughters, born on 18 April 2012, and September 6, 2015. Johnson resides in Bradenton, Florida, where he is a throws coach at IMG Academy.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Thompson, Glenn (April 2008, Volume 10, Issue 4). Kibwe Johnson Making His Own Way Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. Long and Strong. Retrieved on 2011-11-02.
- ^ a b c d e Kibwe Johnson Archived 2011-10-13 at the Wayback Machine. USATF. Retrieved on 2011-11-02.
- ^ Johnson named Athlete of the Week Archived 2014-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. USATF (2005-06-12). Retrieved on 2011-11-02.
- ^ Biscayart, Eduardo (2007-07-26). Ennis-London beats Felicien in a thriller – Pan American Games, Day 4 Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-11-02.
- ^ Robinson, Javier Clavelo (2011-10-27). Brenes improves to 44.65, Maggi sails 6.94m in Guadalajara - Pan American Games, Day 4 Archived 2011-10-28 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-11-02.
- ^ "London 2012 hammer throw men - Olympic Athletics". olympic.org. 3 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "USA Track & Field Olympic Trials - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2016-07-11. Archived from the original on 2016-07-15. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2016 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2016-03-12. Archived from the original on 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2016 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2016-03-12. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2015 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2015-02-28. Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2014 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2014-06-28. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2013 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2013-06-28. Archived from the original on 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "USA Track & Field Olympic Trials - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2012-06-21. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2011 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2011-06-23. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2010 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2010-06-23. Archived from the original on 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2009 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2016-03-12. Archived from the original on 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2009 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2009-02-28. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2008 USA Track & Field Olympic Trials Track and Field - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2008-07-05. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2008 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2008-02-24. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2007 USA Track & Field Outdoor Track and Field Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2007-07-05. Archived from the original on 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2006 USA Track & Field Outdoor Track and Field Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2006-07-05. Archived from the original on 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2006 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2006-02-24. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2005 USA Track & Field Outdoor Track and Field Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2005-06-24. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2005 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2005-02-24. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2004 USA Track & Field Olympic Trials Track and Field - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2004-07-12. Archived from the original on 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "2003 USA Track & Field Outdoor Track and Field Championships - Results - Full". Usatf.org. 2003-06-24. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ Kibwe Johnson Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. Kamloops Track and Field. Retrieved on 2011-11-02.
External links
[edit]- Kibwé Johnson at World Athletics
- Kibwé Johnson at legacy.USATF.org (archived)
- 1981 births
- Living people
- American male hammer throwers
- African-American track and field athletes
- Ashland Eagles men's track and field athletes
- Georgia Bulldogs men's track and field athletes
- North Gwinnett High School alumni
- Junior college men's track and field athletes in the United States
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
- Male weight throwers
- World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
- Track and field athletes from San Francisco
- USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)
- Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)
- 21st-century African-American sportspeople
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople