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Back to Athlete Bios

Johnny Gray

2008 Hall of Fame Inductee

Basic Information

  • Gender: Male
  • Born: 6/19/1960
  • Status: Hall of Fame

Residences

  • Hometown: Los Angeles, California
  • High School: Crenshaw High School (Los Angeles, California), 1978
  • College: Santa Monica Community College

Athlete Info

  • Event: Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field
  • Agent: N/A

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A four-time Olympian considered to be one of the finest 800m runners in U.S. history, Johnny Gray's best performance in Olympic competition was in 1992 in Barcelona, when he won the 800m bronze medal. A three-time U.S. World Outdoor Championships team member, Gray's best finish in that event was sixth in 1991. A seven-time U.S. 800m outdoor champion, Gray also won the 1986 USA Indoor 1,000y national title. He set the USA outdoor 800m record on five occasions and had a best of 1:42.60 from 1985 that stood until 2019. Gray also set the USA 800m indoor record five different times, and his 1:45.00 in 1992 was the AR until 2019. He set the U.S. 1,000y indoor record in 1986 and was world ranked top ten 11 times. He was ranked #1 in the U.S. eight times by Track & Field News.

Events
800 m - 1:42.60

Records Held
American Record: 800 m - 1:43.74 (June 19, 1984)
American Record: 800 m - 1:43.28 (August 24, 1984)
American Record: 800 m - 1:43.28 (August 26, 1984)
American Record: 800 m - 1:42.96 (August 29, 1984)
American Record: 800 m - 1:42.60 (August 28, 1985)
American Record (indoor): 800 m - 1:45.64 (February 27, 1990)
American Record (indoor): 800 m - 1:45.08 (February 2, 1992)
American Record (indoor): 800 m - 1:45.00 (March 8, 1992)

Championships
1992 Olympic Games: 800 m - 1:43.97 (3rd)
1991 World Outdoor Championships: 800 m - 1:45.67 (6th)
1985 USA Outdoor Championships: 800 m - 1:44.01 (1st)
1986 USA Indoor Championships: 1,000 yd. - 2:04.52 (1st)
1986 USA Outdoor Championships: 800 m - 1:44.73 (1st)
1987 USA Outdoor Championships: 800 m - 1:45.15 (1st)
1992 USA Outdoor Championships: 800 m - 1:42.80 (1st)
1996 USA Outdoor Championships: 800 m - 1:44.00 (1st)

Occupations
Coach
Motivational Speaker




 

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