Horace Thomas JOHNSON

In 1922, Thomas “Tiny” Johnson won his only international title as Amateur Sprint World Champion, defeating Maurice Peeters in the final, after Johnson had placed second in 1920. In addition to his two silver medals in Antwerpen in 1920 in the sprint and team pursuit, he had already won a silver medal in the tandem at London in 1908, together with his brother-in-law Frederick Hamlin. This came only three years after Johnson joined Putney AC and took up competitive cycling. At home he was particularly successful on the tandem, winning three British Championships (1907, 1909-10) and setting a national quarter-mile tandem record in 1908. In 1913 and 1920 Johnson won the prestigious Muratti Gold Cup in Manchester. An open fracture below the knee forced him to finish his active career. Cycling Weekly magazine honored Johnson in 1949 by dedicating a full page in the Golden Book of Cycling to him.