John Ertzgaard (born June 18, 1977, in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

) is a

Kenyan The Demographics of Kenya is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics. Kenya is a multi-ethnic state in East Africa. Its total population was at 47,558,296 as of the 2019 census. A national census was conducted in 1999, although t ...

- Norwegian former athlete who specialized in the sprinting events. His father is Norwegian and his mother is Ugandan. His mother, a member of the

Lango people The Lango are a Nilotic peoples, Nilotic ethnic group. They live in north-central Uganda, in a region that covers the area formerly known as the Lango sub-region, Lango District until 1974, when it was split into the districts of Apac District ...

, had escaped to Kenya as a refugee during

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

's reign in Uganda. Ertzgaard's father worked for the development agency

Norad North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ; , CDAAN), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and pr ...

, and the family lived in

and

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

before they moved to Norway when Ertzgaard was nine. His only major medal was the gold in

200 meters The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

at the 1999 European U23 Championships. He competed at the

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

without advancing to the second round. The biggest success of his career was reaching the semifinals of the 1999 World Championships in Seville.

Competition record

Personal Best

Outdoor *

100 m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

– 10.25 (Edmonton 2001) *

200 m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a Sprint (running), sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run th ...

– 20.47 (Gothenburg 1999) *

400 m The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

– 46.80 (2001) Indoor *

60 m 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name ...

– 6.70 (Vienna 2002) *

– 10.47 (Tampere 2000) *

– 21.08 (Gothenburg 2000)

References

External links

* 1977 births Living people Norwegian male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Norway Sportspeople from Nairobi Norwegian people of Ugandan descent Norwegian expatriates in Kenya Norwegian expatriates in Zambia Kenyan people of Ugandan descent Kenyan people of Norwegian descent Kenyan emigrants to Norway {{Kenya-athletics-bio-stub