A Column By Len Johnson

Len Johnson wrote for The Melbourne Age as an athletics writer for over 20 years, covering five Olympics, 10 world championships and five Commonwealth Games.

He has been the long-time lead columnist on RT and is one of the world’s most respected athletic writers.

He is also a former national class distance runner (2.19.32 marathon) and trained with Chris Wardlaw and Robert de Castella among other running legends. He is the author of The Landy Era.

Every person who has ever climbed a ladder has experienced the feeling. Once you start to come down, your first step is blind, your foot searching for something solid. You’ve taken every precaution; you know you will find a sound footing, but it’s still a relief when you do.
  Winston Churchill once famously characterised Russia as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” It hasn’t become any simpler a riddle, any less shrouded in mystery, nor less of an enigma in the time since. I’m not thinking as broadly as Britain’s wartime Prime Minister, but more specifically...
Muddy Waters | A Column By Len Johnson Sometimes when you stir up the water you end up with a nice clear solution. Other times, muddy water just gets muddier. Six months of marathons has delivered what appears to be an obvious selection of the three women to represent Australia in...
Not a single member of the Athletics Australia selection panel, however, will be breathing a sigh of relief. There is still plenty of work to be done, particularly in the middle-distance events were there are way more contenders for places in Paris than there are places in Paris.
The recent announcement that there would be no road events at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games was poignant enough for Australian athletics followers. As Commonwealth marathon champions ‘Deek’, ‘Monner’, Kerryn, Lisa, Michael and Jess are on first-name terms as far as most of us are concerned.
By Len Johnson reporting from the Gold Coast You will find Nick Hough and Alex Hulley side by side in the Australian Commonwealth Games Media Guide, but hands up anyone who expected to find them, if not exactly next to each other, one after the other on the medals’ podium. Stranger...
The runaway train that is the Change Express continues to cut a swathe through the athletics world. Having shunted race walking into a siding last time out, the train careered on in the direction of the Diamond League. Perhaps not surprisingly given the locomotive’s near-warp speed, the major casualty on...
World cross-country 1981-85: amid extraordinary scenes in Madrid, Robert de Castella takes Australia into the individual top-10. A year out from Bathurst 2021, Len Johnson continues his look at Australia in the world cross-country championships. The men’s race at the 1981 world cross-country championships in Madrid finished amid extraordinary scenes as...
A few days back I officiated at a Victorian Milers Club meeting, the second of the 2018-19 season. Over 320 athletes participated in a total of 29 races over 800 (17 races) and 1500 metres (12). Not bad for a little organisation which started with just 71 competitors over six...
When it comes to distance running, Oslo’s Bislett Stadium seems to be the gift that keeps on giving for Australians, Georgia Griffith the latest beneficiary with a national record in the 3000 metres on Thursday (30 May).
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