Jet Sports Training Male Athlete of the Month: Tucson Grad, Arizona track star Johnnie Blockburger
Tucson High grad Johnnie BlockburgerThe 18-year-old freshman has emerged as one of the surprises of the 2021 NCAA track and field season across the country.
His record performances for Arizona in April earned him Jet Sports Training Male Athlete of the Month.
At the Jim Click Shootout home meeting on April 10, he won the 400-meter race in 44.71, which was No. 4 on the US career junior list. Two in front of him – Steve Lewis and LaShawn Merritt – won Olympic gold and the other, Darrell Robinsonheld the high school record of 44.69 seconds for 39 years.
The feat is even more impressive when you consider that Blockburger’s personal best in Tucson in 2019 as a junior was 48.02 seconds. Track season was virtually non-existent in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Johnnie Blockburger has the fourth fastest time in his age group, 400 times (photo by Arizona Athletics).
JET SPORTS TRAINING MONTH HONORARY MALE SPORTSMAN
January 2021: CDO golfer Beckett Carlson
February 2021: St. Augustine basketball player Thomas Reyna
March 2021: Sunnyside grad, Penn State Wrestler Roman Bravo-Young
“By the time I was definitely entering my senior year, I was very excited (a PR in the 400),” Blockburger told Track and Field News. “I knew I was going to do something better than the junior year, but when that was all canceled I said, ‘Okay, I have to do something big outside of my first year because that’s where I can make my mark. ‘
“But I didn’t think I’d go from 48.1 in my junior year to 44. I didn’t know I was going to do that much PR.”
His father is a six-time decathlon competitor in the US championship Sheldon Blockburgerwho trains in Arizona. He won the bronze medal at the 1991 Pan American Games and was the first American champion in indoor heptathlon.
Johnnie broke the 400 meter record in Arizona with his 44.71 mark. He previously set the newcomer record at the Willie Williams Classic with a time of 45.83. Its performance makes it the first Wildcat to cover and replace the 400 meters in less than 45 seconds Bobby McCoys 2008 record.
“Johnnie has the skills to be one of the elite 400m runners in the country, if not the world,” said head coach Fred Harvey said.
His twin sister, Alyssa, also competes in Arizona
FOLLOW @JAVIERJMORALES ON TWITTER!
The editor, author, and editor of ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com, Javier Morales, is a past Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former beat reporter for the Arizona Daily Star for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the NCAA title in 1996-97. He has written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, the Republic of Arizona, Sporting News, and Baseball America, among others. He is also the author of the book The Highest Form of Living, which is available on Amazon.
Comments are closed.