 Steffensen (second from the left) after winning the bronze medal at the2009 World Championships 4 x 400 m | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1982-08-30)30 August 1982 (age 43) |
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight | 71 kg (157 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Australia |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | 4 × 400m Relay |
Medal record | |
John William Steffensen (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian formertrack and field athlete, who specialised in200 and400 metres. He won silver at the2004 Olympics in Athens. His personal bests were 20.79 and 44.73.
Born inPerth, Western Australia, toSouth African immigrant parents, Steffensen competed in the2004 Olympics, and was a part of the Australian team that won thesilver medal in the4 × 400 metres relay.
Steffensen won thegold medal in the 400 m at the2006 Commonwealth Games inMelbourne, with a time of 44.73, setting a new personal best. This has often been referred to as the greatest race of all time.[1] He won a second gold medal as the first runner in the 4 × 400 m Australian relay team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.[citation needed]
He boycotted the2010 Commonwealth Games after a series of disputes withAthletics Australia, which he accused of mismanaging athletes.[2]
He is an old boy ofTrinity College, Perth, andGuildford Grammar School, Perth (92-96).
He was runner up toStephanie Rice in the 2013 Australian version of the television programCelebrity Apprentice. Since then, he has been making regular appearances on Nine Network'sWide World of Sports as a co-host.
Steffensen collaborated with Athletics Australia to develop theNitro Athletics track and field series, which included variations on the traditional one-day athletics meeting with the intention of widening the sport's fanbase.[3]
Steffensen made his first step into motor racing at Sandown in 2017 driving a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge series with Zagame Motorsport backed by Repair Management Australia.[4] He finished the championship in eighth and moved immediately into thePorsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2018 driving in the Porsche Centre Melbourne team.
Commonwealth Games champions in men's400 metres | |
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| 440 yards (1930–1966) | |
| 400 metres (1970–present) |
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Australians at the2009 World Championships in Athletics | |||
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Australian athletes at the2011 World Championships in Athletics | |||
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