Former Southern University athlete Brian Johnson will begin his quest to capture gold in the long jump at Olympics in Beijing, China on August 16. Johnson qualified for the Olympics by finishing second in the long jump during the United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR in late June.
Johnson, who also played basketball while at Southern and is currently the assistant track coach at SU, had three of the top seven jumps in the world this year following the US Olympic Trials. He also was the 2006 USA Outdoor champion and was part of the 2005 World Championships team.
Johnson is the third Olympian from Southern Uiniversity, following Willie Davenport and Rodney Milburn.