Derek Johnson (January 5, 1933 – August 30, 2004) was a British athlete, who was born in Chigwell, Essex. He did his National Service in Egypt before going up to Lincoln College, Oxford to read medicine in 1953. Whilst at Oxford, he pursued an athletics career and, in the 1954 Empire Games won gold medals both in the 800 m and the 4x400 m relay.
Johnson went on to win a silver medal in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, in the 800 metres. A leading light in the setting up of the "athletes' union", the International Athletes' Club, he led opposition to Margaret Thatcher's call for sportsmen to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
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United Kingdom
