[2] He placed third in the weight throw at the 2005 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and threw a best of 24.54 meters (80 feet 6 inches) at the Oiler Open meet – a distance which ranked him as the third best American and eleventh best ever in the history of the event.

[2] Making his international debut at the 2007 Pan American Games, he had a throw of 73.23 m on his final attempt, which brought him the silver medal behind Canada's James Steacy.

[4] Johnson was selected to represent the United States at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, but failed to record a valid throw in the qualifying round.

In spite of this he remained positive about the experience and fellow throwers Tore Gustafsson and Koji Murofushi offered him encouragement and technical advice.

[1] In 2008 he won the USA Indoors weight throw title – his first win at national level – but he fouled out at the 2008 Olympic Trials later in the season.

As national champion, he gained his second opportunity to compete on the global stage at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, but his best throw of 75.06 m in qualifying was not enough to reach the final.