Robert Earle "Earl" Johnson (March 10, 1891 in

Woodstock, Virginia Woodstock is a town in and the county seat of Shenandoah County, Virginia, Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It has a population of 5,212 according to the 2010 United States Census, 2017 census. Woodstock comprises 3.2 square miles o ...

– November 19, 1965) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the cross country team. He was the 1921 National Champion. He effectively defended his championship in 1922 as he was beaten by

Ville Ritola Vilho "Ville" Eino Ritola (18 January 1896 – 24 April 1982) was a Finnish long-distance runner. Known as one of the " Flying Finns", he won five Olympic gold medals and three Olympic silver medals in the 1920s. He holds the record of winning ...

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course record, but since Ritola was Finnish, Johnson was the first American finisher in the National Championships. A rare black athlete of his day, he worked for the

Edgar Thomson Steel Works The Edgar Thomson Steel Works is a steel mill in the Pittsburgh area communities of Braddock and North Braddock, Pennsylvania. It has been active since 1875. It is currently owned by U.S. Steel and is known as Mon Valley Works – Edgar Thomson ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. He competed for the United States in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

held in

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France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the cross country team where he won the silver medal with his teammates Arthur Studenroth and August Fager. In the 10,000 m at the 1924 Summer Olympics, Johnson finished 8th in 32:17.0.

References

1891 births 1965 deaths People from Woodstock, Virginia Track and field athletes from Virginia American male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1920 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics African-American track and field athletes Olympic cross country runners 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub