John Steffensen
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"John William Steffensen", born 30 August 1982 in Perth, Western Australia to South African immigrant parents, is an Australian Track and field athletics/athlete, who specialises in 200 metres/200 and 400 metres. His personal bests are 20.79 and 44.73.

Steffensen competed in the 2004 Olympics, and was a part of the Australian team that won the silver medal in Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay/4 x 400 metres relay.

Steffensen won the gold medal in the 400 m at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, with a time of 44.73, setting a new personal best.

He decided to boycott the 2010 Commonwealth Games after a series of disputes with Athletics Australia, which he accused of mismanaging athletes.

He won a second gold medal as the first runner in the 4 x 400 m Australian relay team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

He is an old boy of Trinity College, Perth

He is an old boy of Guildford Grammar School, Perth (92-96).

He was runner up to Stephanie Rice in the 2013 Australian version of the television program Celebrity Apprentice.

More John Steffensen on Wikipedia.

He just said it wasn't right for me at the moment, not good for my running.

(Clark) called me just before the race and wished me good luck and I really hope this makes him happy because he has supported me and he saw the belief I had in myself.

I am not here to play around, if I wanted to play around, I would take up golf or something like that. My next goal is whatever I put my mind to . . . and now I want to be the best.

Everything I'm doing at the moment is focused towards the Commonwealth Games and running the sort of time which could help me win an individual medal.

He knows all about it and said if you do, it is going to pain your body. Running on the grass is tough, so it was too much of a risk, particularly with the international season just starting.

Me and my coach (John Smith) will go back to the drawing board and set our goals for next year . . . right now trying to beat the Yanks in Osaka.

The important 400m races are coming up at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne on March 20, 21, 22 and I think we have two or three guys who came step up to the final.

He sets it out for me and I listen, and it is a testament to him, he set this all up. All I had to do was listen and that's the difference in myself, having listened, because I am a hard-headed kid.