J Johnson (Panther Creek) competed in the 55m Dash on Friday night and despite dominating his heat running 6.44, he wasn't satisfied. Johnson's 6.44 was good to make him the 3rd fastest qualifier out of 251 competitors. The fastest qualifier, and later that day the new 300m National Record Holder, was Tyrese Cooper (American HS, Flordia) who ran a 6.38. Johnson said in an interview after that he had his sights set on taking down the stud sophomore in the finals, and if you're familiar with Cooper, he does not lose many high school races.
J Johnson after advancing to the 55m Dash Finals
Just before the finals was the Boys Invitational Section of the SMR where Johnson ran the 200 on the second leg. The only event in between was the girls 55m Dash Finals which did not give Johnson more than 5 minutes of recovery. Despite having no rest Johnson was shot out of a cannon from the blocks and had an edge on the field. He did not give up the lead after his fast start and cross the line in a new NC#1 and US#2 time of 6.36!
Watch J Johnson win the boys 55m Dash
Johnson's mark took .04 seconds off his previous NC#1 mark of 6.40. But the win over 4 boys that currently sit in the top 10 in the US is what is really impressive about this performance. Below is an interview with Johnson after winning the Boys 55m Finals.