Jinson Johnson was born on 15th March 1991 in Chakkittapara village of Kozhikode (Calicut) district in Kerala. He is one of the most recognizable athletes in India representing India internationally in 800 meters and 1500 meters events.
Background
Jinson Johnson was born in 1994 on the 20th of February and grew up in Chakkittapara, Kozhikode. He is the 2nd child to his parents Kulachal and Shailaja Johnson. Jinson has a younger sister named Jithara.
Jinson Johnson got into sports at a young age. His talent was spotted by coach Peter Karimbanakuzhy, who realized the young boy had all the necessary skills to take his coaching career further. He began training under Peter, and he later moved on to join the Kerala Sports Council academy in Kottayam where he got support and motivation.
Jinson Johnson currently serves as a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army. He finished his school education at St. George’s High School in Kulathuvayal, Kozhikode and later finished his graduation from Baselius College in Kottayam.
Rise to Glory
After getting trained by Peter Karimbankuzhy, Jinson Johnson’s athletics career took off. In 2010, he went on to win his first national title, in the 800m event at the National Junior Sports Championships and also won a second Gold medal in the 1500m event which was followed by a silver medal in 3000m steeplechase event during the National Sports Meet.
Jinson Johnson, a talented athlete specializing in the 800m run event, has always dreamed of participating in the Olympics. In 2015, armed with his powerful legs, he won his first International Gold medal in 800m events, followed by two Gold medals, one in the 1500m event at the Asian Grand Prix in Thailand. In 2017, breaking through barriers, he broke the national record with a timing of 1:45.0s at the Asian Grand Prix in Bengaluru and qualified for the Rio Olympics after achieving the qualification mark of 1:45.00s.
Jinson Johnson has been an interesting character in India. He set a world record of 1:45.65s in 800m event, as well as won the Gold with a timing of 3:45.12 seconds in 1500m event at the Asian Games 2018 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. He participated at the T44 category for men’s 1500m event in Jakarta but failed to qualify for the final round by 12 milliseconds.
Major Achievements
Jinson Johnson won a silver medal in the 800m event at The Asian Athletics Championships in Wuhan, China.
Jinson Johnson is a former Indian track and field athlete. In the 2016 Olympics, Jinson became the first athlete to represent India in the Olympics in the 800m event since 1984. But, his campaign ended after he failed to qualify for the semi-finals with a timing of 1:47.27 seconds. In 2017, he won the Bronze medal in 800m at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in Odisha.
Jinson Johnson is a 21-year-old 800 metre runner who burst onto the scene at the 2018 Commonwealth Games by achieving a silver medal in the event. Having won it, he earned himself a ticket for the Jakarta Asian Games where he won the gold medal in the 1500 metre event with a timing of 3:44.72s.
In 2019, Jinson competed in the 1500m event at the Asian Athletics Championships but had to pull out due to a calf injury. Later that year, he competed but failed to qualify for the semi-finals after finishing 34th in the heats.
Jinson Johnson – the first Indian track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics in 100 and 200 metres events, is now eyeing for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics berth through 800m and 1500m events.
