Rapidly approaching in a couple of years, the 2028 Summer Olympic Games come back to the United States with Los Angeles hosting the Games. A significant moment in American history, it’ll be the first time the Summer Olympics are held in the US since the Atlanta Games of 1996.
For most, it’s an invigorating showcase of the world’s premier athletes and a chance to beam representative pride of their nation while watching. For John Jay’s Nate Johnson, he hopefully has different plans for the Olympics.
“I want to go to Under 20s and I do want to qualify for LA and 2028,” The senior said in an exclusive interview with the Poughkeepsie Journal. “They’re two pretty big goals, but I know if I put in the right work and do the right training, that’s definitely something I can do.”
It’s not just something he feels he can do, but an imperative mission for the already multiple-time New York State winner to achieve these lofty dreams. It didn’t come out of nowhere either; he’s had his sights on the world’s stage for his whole life.
“I watched the Olympics growing up and I always thought I wanted to end up on that big screen for my family to watch me and cheer me on,” Johnson said. “It would mean a lot and to just be in a position where I can actually do that means the world to me. Looking back on my training all the way back in fourth grade, I’ve always worked hard and the fact that it’s starting to pay off, it just means a lot.”
Climbing the ladder
Having this process go all the way back to his early childhood, it’s seemed like destiny for Johnson to get to this point despite a winding road throughout the process. Born in Florida, he moved up to New York City in his childhood before eventually settling in the John Jay school system by eighth grade.
Ever since then, all Johnson has done is run his way to being one of the most accomplished student-athletes in school history.
A three-sport star throughout his high school career, Johnson’s obvious calling has been on the track. More impressively, it’s not just one event. He is currently the two-time defending New York State champion in the Pentathlon. A five-event challenge, the Pentathlon includes the 110-meter hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump and 1500-meter run.
His first state title in the event came in 2024, placing top-three individually in four of the events and winning the high jump portion. An ultimate dream for any student-athlete looking to excel at the high school level, the first one was undoubtedly one of the best feeling’s Johnson ever experienced. Especially after having to bow out the year before due to injury.
“Mentally I was just down, I ended up crying a lot that day but I went back the next year with a fire to really show them that I wasn’t an inconsistent performer. I had to show people that I was really about it.”
The internal satisfaction was incredible for Johnson after the first win. It wasn’t just for him though.
“It’s an emotion like no other, the relief I felt, It was just something else,” Johnson said, mentioning how the celebration with his family and coaches made it that much more special.
Ever since, he’s done nothing but improve on those times. Repeating as the Pentathlon state champion in 2025, Johnson has also set his sights on competing at the national level. Most recently this March, he placed 2nd overall at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston. Placing first in the 1000-meter run, he set a meet record with a time of 2:46.95. His success at the national level only proved to himself the opportunities and possibilities he has in the sport.
“I went there and the environment was, everyone was just locked in around me and I knew I had to compete,” Johnson said, mentioning how he had fallen all the way down to fourth overall before competing in the 1000-meter event. “I knew I had to run hard in the 1000 to get my high spot back and beat the record. I locked in and did what I had to.”
Multi-sport star
Not just a great sprinter, Johnson has excelled as a multiple-sport phenom during his time as a Patriot. Holding a 38-inch vertical and running a near sub 4.40 40-yard dash, the speedster was most recently the Section 1 Class AA wide receiver of the year in football this past fall. While following track in his future, football was such an important part in his development as an overall athlete.
“It still took time to work on my game but by junior year I started stacking up yards and touchdowns and really started clicking for me,” He said. “It taught me a lot of lessons and a lot of discipline. I got in the weight room a lot more and I got stronger because of football and I appreciate everything football has given to me.”
The life of a dual-sport athlete is soon coming to an end for Johnson as he prepares for his collegiate career. Following a long road of recruitment, he finally found his home in the Big Ten by committing to Purdue University. A dream for any growing athlete, Johnson is just excited to get there and get comfortable on the national stage.
“I went on a visit and it just felt right, everything was great. The facilities, I loved everything about the school… I’ve never been in a place that felt like that before,” He said. “New York is nothing like Indiana. Even though it felt different, I loved everything about it.”
John Jay’s phenomenal track star currently has his sights set on a third straight state championship this Spring. Not too far down the line however, Nate Johnson may be able to call himself an Olympian.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: John Jay track phenom looking to solidify legacy in senior season
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
