Ben Johnson

Meet Ben Johnson

Recent graduate Ben Johnson said he doesn’t take for granted the opportunity to be a collegiate athlete. An ankle injury during his sophomore year refreshed his perspective, and following a lengthy recovery, Johnson came back better than ever, breaking four university track and field records, winning multiple Southern Conference Championships in discus (2017), javelin (2017, 2018) and weight throw (2018) and competing at the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships weight throw event. Johnson successfully balanced his athletic and academic obligations and earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering technology. Whether he’s tinkering with robots, cameras or throwing a javelin, the Nashville native has a bright future ahead.

How have you been able to balance athletic obligations and course work?  

There are 24 hours in a day, so time management is key. School always comes first and second to that comes track. You just have to make it happen.

You had to overcome some major injuries to get where you are. What gave you the determination to move forward?

My sophomore year I broke my ankle long-jumping. Looking back on it now, that was the best/worst day of my life. I had worked really hard to get where I was. I broke my ankle during the first jump at my first track meet back prior to breaking a bone in my foot my freshman year. It caused me to refocus and not to take track for granted.

In that time of being away from track and field, I learned that it’s a privilege to be a collegiate athlete. When I came back better than I left, it surprised a lot of people, and it surprised myself. You don’t see many people with that fire in their eyes to do better than when they left.

Most of the support came from my trainers. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to walk correctly. I would be in the training room three times a day to in order to begin walking again. First I was riding on a scooter, then walking and then I got back on the track.

Talk about your big comeback following the ankle injury.

It started last year when we got a new throws coach. I was working my way up, coming back from the injury, and trying a new event, the weight throw. It’s a process that doesn’t happen overnight. I trusted in what the coach was saying and continued making sure we were communicating. The byproduct, this year, was to be a SoCon champion and get to go to nationals and experience that in its entirety. 

I hold four records for the university. First one is weight throw, hammer (outdoor version of weight throw), discus and javelin. I broke the record in javelin my second track meet back from hurting my ankle. It was shocking.

I’ve always wanted to see my name on the wall. It doesn’t matter what event, I just wanted to see “Ben Johnson” on the wall. I thought it would be the coolest thing to put a record up there that no one could break until decades later.

You reached your goal and now your name is now among the list of track and field record holders at ETSU. How does it feel to leave your footprint at the university?

I’m happy that I raised the bar for someone else.  I’m going to be even happier the day that I get a phone call that there’s a new weight or javelin thrower who broke my record. I’ll probably have to send him a gift. That’s an incredible feat to be the best in history at your school. I hope someone comes along and does better to show the growth of the program. It’s phenomenal to leave such a legacy here.

In addition to your performance in track and field, you’re known for your skills behind the camera.

I run around with my camera. There’s a bunch of people, many I don’t know, who ask me to take their picture. I go out hiking every weekend. I’ve been to every waterfall in a two-hour radius, every lookout and fire tower. I take pictures and record video.

I begged my mother for her camera. I begged her for the film camera and she said no and then I begged her for the digital one and she said no. So, I saved up and bought a $100 camera kit that took alright pictures, and I went out every weekend and took pictures, played around with it. I eventually got more serious and went out and bought an even more expensive camera. My mother swears she’s better than me at taking pictures, but she knows the truth. 

To learn more about Ben Johnson’s big comeback following a string of injuries that began in high school, read “Against all odds: The Ben Johnson Story” by ETSU Athletics.