Johnnie Blockburger
{{Short description|American sprinter (born 2002)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Johnnie Blockburger
| fullname =
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|7|12|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| residence =
| nationality = {{USA}}
| spouse =
| sport = Athletics
| event = Sprint
| club =
| worlds =
| nationals =
| headercolor =
| pb = 200m: 20.34 (Albuquerque, 2025)
400m: 44.51 (Boulder, 2024)
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's athletics}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Relays}}
{{MedalGold|2025 Guangzhou|4×400 m mixed}}
}}
Johnnie Blockburger (born 12 July 2002) is an American sprinter.{{cite web|title= Johnnie Blockburger|website=World Athletics|accessdate=10 May 2025|url= https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/johnnie-blockburger-14885589}}
==Early and personal life==
From Arizona, he attended Tucson High School. His personal best for the 400 metres whilst at Tucson was 48.02 seconds as a junior in 2019, but his track season was practically non-existent in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. His twin sister Alyssa Blockburger is also a college athlete who competes in middle-distance running. Their father, Sheldon Blockburger competed in decathlon, was a coach at the University of Arizona for ten seasons prior to being an assistant coach for the USC Trojans from 2016-2018.{{cite web|url=https://allsportstucson.com/2021/05/01/jet-sports-training-male-athlete-of-the-month-tucson-grad-arizona-track-star-johnnie-blockburger/|website=allsportstucson.com|accessdate=10 May 2025|first=Javier|last=Morales|date=1 May 2021|title= MALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH}}
Career
=NCAA=
He spent a year at the University of Arizona in 2020-21 where he won the Pac-12 400 metres race with a time of 45.57 seconds, and ran a personal best time of 44.71 seconds at the Jim Click Shootout on April 10 which ranked him as No. 4 on the career U.S. Junior List behind only Steve Lewis, LaShawn Merritt and Darrell Robinson and made him the first member of the Arizona Wildcats to run under 45 seconds, breaking the school record set in 2008. He was subsequently named PAC-12 freshman of the year, before transferring to the University of Southern California.{{cite web|url= https://www.azdesertswarm.com/2021/7/23/22590979/arizona-track-and-field-twins-johnnie-and-alyssa-blockburger-transferring-to-usc|website= azdesertswarm.com|accessdate=10 May 2025|title= Arizona standout track twins Johnnie and Alyssa Blockburger transferring to USC|first= Ezra |last=Amacher|date=Jul 23, 2021}}
In 2024, Blockburger was named the Pac-12 Men’s Athlete of the Year, winning the 200 metres and 400 metres race at the conference championship meeting. He finished fourth in the 400 metres at the 2024 NCAA outdoor championships, and lowered his personal best time to 44.51 seconds that year at the Pac-12 final in Boulder, Colorado.{{cite web|url= https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/06/21/us-olympic-track-field-trials-2024-college-athletes-to-watch/74132785007/|website=USA Today|accessdate=10 May 2025|title= United States Olympic trials: McKenzie Long is among college stars to watch|date=21 June 2024|first=
Competing at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque in February 2025, he setting new indoor personal best in the 200 metres with a time of 20.34 seconds.{{cite web|url= https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/02/11/johnnie-blockburger-sets-new-ncaa-world-lead-in-mens-200/|website=uscannebergmedia.com|accessdate=10 May 2025|title= Johnnie Blockburger sets new NCAA, world lead in men’s 200|first=Scott|last=Hills|date=11 February 2025}} In March 2025, he was a member of the University of Southern California team which won the overall 2025 Division I men's indoor track and field title Virginia Beach, their first for 53 years.{{cite web|website=ESPN|access-date=10 May 2025|url= https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/44271067/usc-wins-first-men-indoor-track-field-title-53-years|title= USC wins first men's indoor track and field title in 53 years|date=15 March 2025}}
=Professional career=
On 24 April 2025, he was named in the American team for the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China in May 2025.{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/guangzhou25/news/news/usa-team-guangzhou-25 |title= Global medallists on US team for World Relays in Guangzhou
|website=world athletics|accessdate=24 April 2025|date=24 April 2025}} Be was a member of the mixed 4x400 metres relay team along with Courtney Okolo, Chris Robinson, and Lynna Irby-Jackson that won their heat to qualify an American team for the 2025 World Championship, and doing so by running world-leading time.{{cite web|url=https://trackalerts.com/2025/05/jamaica-qualifies-two-of-six-teams-for-finals-at-world-relays-guangzhou-25/|website=Track Alerts|accessdate=10 May 2025|title= Jamaica Qualifies Two of Six Teams for Finals at World Relays Guangzhou 25|first=Anthony|last=Foster|date=10 May 2025}} In the final the quartet won the gold medal and broke the championship record to win in 3:09.54.{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/may/12/australia-mixed-4x400m-silver-world-athletics-relay-championships |website=The Guardian|accessdate=12 May 2025|title= Mixed 4x400m silver caps successful world relay championships for Australia|date=12 May 2025}} Later that month, he finished sixth in the 400 metres at the 2025 Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat, part of the 2025 Diamond League.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/6666/results-rabat-diamond-league-2025|website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=28 May 2025|title= Results - Rabat Diamond League 2025|date= 25 May 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blockburger, Johnnie}}
Category:American male sprinters
Category:Track and field athletes from Arizona
Category:21st-century American sportsmen
Category:USC Trojans men's track and field athletes
Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
Category:Sportspeople from Tucson, Arizona