John S. Johnson (sportsman)

John Sigfried Johnson (May 11, 1873 – January 17, 1934) was an early American cyclist and speed skater.[1] He was born as Johan Sigfrid Jonsson in Sweden and emigrated with his parents to Minnesota in the United States in 1881.

John S. Johnson
John S. Johnson
Personal information
Full nameJohan Sigfrid Jonsson
Nickname
  • "Johnny"
Born(1871-05-11)May 11, 1871
Kil, Sweden
DiedJanuary 17, 1934(1934-01-17) (aged 62)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Team information
DisciplineTrack
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter

Johnson was the first to bicycle 1-mile in less than two minutes, or 1:56.6. This happened in 1892 at a racing track in Independence, Iowa.[2] Besides racing on the track, early in his career he also competed in road races.[3] Johnson was also a world record holder in speed skating, and won world championship titles in both sports. Later in his career, Johnson rode for racing teams sponsored by the bicycle manufacturers E.C. Stearns Bicycle Agency of Syracuse, N.Y., and Schwinn Bicycle Co. of Chicago. He retired from competitive cycling in 1900. He died January 17, 1934, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "John S. Johnson of Minneapolis". U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  2. ^ Jim Peipert (April 4, 2011). "John Johnson's wonderful mile". Jim's Bike Blog · Riding a bicycle across America. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  3. ^ "Johnny Johnson's palmares at Cycling Ranking". CyclingRanking.com.
  4. ^ Minnesota Death Certificate 1934-MN-018375
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