Often-overlooked hurdler to carry U.S. flag
By BOB BAUM
.c The Associated Press
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) - No U.S. athlete is a bigger
favorite to win his event at the World Championships
than Allen Johnson in the 110-meter hurdles.
He is the runaway choice to win his fourth world
championship, something no other hurdler has
accomplished. The gold medalist at the 1996 Olympics,
he will carry the U.S. flag in the opening ceremony
Saturday.
Yet when a handful of U.S. athletes appeared at a news
conference on Friday, only a few reporters bothered to
talk to Johnson. The rest crowded around Tim
Montgomery, Stacy Dragila and Tyree Washington. That
has been Johnson's lot - ignored or taken for granted.
``I can't help but feel that sometimes,'' he said. ``I
feel like I've accomplished a lot in my career, but at
the same time I feel that I get overlooked. After it's
happened for so many years I can't help but feel a
little bit cheated at times.''
Johnson, 32, has four of the top 10 times in his
event. Twice in 1996 he came within a hundredth of a
second of Colin Jackson's world record of 12.92
seconds. Johnson is the only hurdler to break 13
seconds this year. He ran 12.97 July 4 on the same
Stade de France track where the worlds are being held.
It's a resume that deserves attention.
``I can't do anything about it. I can just be
myself,'' Johnson said. ``All I can do is keep winning
and maybe one day I'll get a little more attention
than I've gotten.''
He said he was surprised when his U.S. teammates chose
him to carry the flag.
``It's an honor for them to think enough of me to want
me to hold the flag of the United States of America
and represent our team,'' Johnson said.
Johnson believes he has many more races ahead of him.
``My goal is to go through at least 2008,'' he said.
``I still have a lot of fun. I have just as much fun
as I did my first season over here. I'll probably be
one of those athletes that you look up and say `He
should have retired two years ago,' and I'll still be
running.''
Craig Masback, head of USA Track & Field, said that
Johnson's great career has been overshadowed by
others.
``He can't help but be one of the greatest hurdlers of
all time just by the virtue of multiple world
championships and an Olympic championship,'' Masback
said. ``However, he never had a signature star to
match up against him in the way that (Renaldo)
Nehemiah had (Greg) Foster. He also competed at a time
there was another Johnson.''
With Michael Johnson setting world records in the 200
and 400 meters, Allen Johnson was relegated to a
paragraph here and there.
``It drives my parents crazy. They're always saying
`Why didn't they say more about you?' and I say, `I
don't know.'''
Johnson said the hurdles were the last event he
thought he'd run when he was on the high school track
team at age 15.
``A friend and myself were watching the shuttle hurdle
relay. There were guys falling all over the place,''
Johnson said. ``We were sitting there laughing at
people. We were both saying `Man, those guys are
crazy.' I said, `Yeah man, you would never catch me
running the hurdles. That's crazy.'''
The following Monday, his coach said, ``You have long
legs. I'm going to put you in the hurdles,'' Johnson
recalled.
He's been a hurdler ever since, except when the U.S.
team needed him to do something else.
``I remember when the World Championships were held,
we needed somebody to run a round of the 4x400 (relay)
because all our guys were sore and hurt,'' Masback
said. ``He stepped up and ran a round to get us to the
final to win the gold medal. He's done the same in the
4X100. There is no one who has been more supportive of
the `team' than Allen Johnson has.''
Johnson believes he can run 12.8 or 12.7 under ideal
circumstances.
That finally would get this low-key personality some
high-profile headlines.
``I don't have a `hook,''' Johnson said. ``I just
win.''
08/22/03 15:49 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
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