Chelsea Johnson (born December 20, 1983, in Atascadero, California) is a former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

er. She is the daughter of

Jan Johnson Jan Johnson (born November 11, 1950 in Hammond, Indiana) is an American former athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault. He graduated in 1972 from the University of Alabama, where he holds the school record in the pole vault at 18 feet, 1/ ...

, who won three NCAA championships and a bronze medal in the pole vault at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. She won the silver medal at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

, but retired from the sport two years later.

Career

Coached by her father while at Atascadero High School in central California, Chelsea won the pole vault at the 2002

CIF California State Meet The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direc ...

. Two years earlier she had placed fifth in the 300 hurdles, behind future

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

performers

Lashinda Demus Lashinda Demus (born March 10, 1983 in Inglewood, California) is a retired American hurdler who specialized in the 400 meter hurdles, an event in which she was the 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, becoming the first woman from ...

and

Nichole Denby Nichole Denby (born 10 October 1982) is an American-Nigerian track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 meters hurdles. She represented the United States at the 2007 World Championships narrowly missing the final. In 2014, she switc ...

. As a college athlete at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, Johnson is a two-time

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

champion, having won the pole vault at the 2004 NCAA Track and Field Championship and the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. At the

2009 World Athletics Championships The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Johnson tied for silver alongside

Monika Pyrek Monika Zofia Pyrek-Rokita (born 11 August 1980) is a retired Polish pole vaulter. Born in Gdynia, competing at the 2004 Olympics, she placed fourth with 4.55 metres, just behind another Polish pole vaulter born in Gdynia, Anna Rogowska. Monika ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

with a jump of 4.65 metres. The following year, she won at the Millrose Games and was selected for the 2010 World Indoor Championships. Johnson did not qualify to compete in the pole vault final, finishing in 11th place in the qualification round. She decided to retire from the sport at the age of 27, saying that her enthusiasm for competition had waned.

Personal bests

References

External links

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Player Bio: Chelsea Johnson - Women's Track - UCLA official athletic site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Chelsea 1983 births Living people American female pole vaulters Track and field athletes from California People from Atascadero, California Sportspeople from San Luis Obispo County, California Sportspeople from Southern California UCLA Bruins women's track and field athletes World Athletics Championships medalists