Johnson set for 100 and 200m sprints - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Johnson set for 100 and 200m sprints

06/06/2005 06:20:06 PM Comments (0)

Patrick Johnson will contest the 100m and 200m individual sprints at the world athletics championships after clocking A qualifying times in both events last week.

The full Australian squad for the August championships in Finland will be named on Tuesday with the 31-year-old Johnson, Australia's only sprinter to go under the magical 10 second barrier for the 100m, set to gain individual berths in both events.

Johnson, who has been slowed by a persistent hamstring injury, was already selected for the 4x100 metre relay but was looking uncertain to qualify individually.

But with two days remaining in the qualification window, the AIS scholarship holder burst from the starting line-up at a low-key meet late last month, bettering the A standard for both events.

That effectively assured his selection in the individual events.

He will join two-time national 100m champion Joshua Ross in the glamour event, while Daniel Batman is the other Australian representative in the half-lap sprint.

Defending 400m hurdles gold medallist Jana Pittman and former cross-country world titleholder Benita Johnson headlined the first batch of the squad named in March.

Benita Johnson has already qualified for the 5,000m event but her desire to compete in the 10,000m has presented selectors with a conundrum because she has failed to run the longer event in the qualification period.

Athens 4x400m relay silver medallist John Steffensen could also join fellow medallist Clinton Hill, who just needs to complete a fitness test, in the 400m individual event after bettering the A qualifying standard with a 45.45 second run in Arizona in May.

Chris Neofytou was selected for the 4x100m relay earlier in the year but his selection also remains tied to passing a fitness test.

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