Jinson Johnson optimistic about Tokyo Olympics

Bengaluru: Asian Games champion Jinson Johnson, India’s premier middle-distance runner, says he is very much capable of qualifying for the 1500 metres event at the Tokyo Olympics. “The qualification mark is set at 3:35 for Tokyo but the gold at Rio came in 3:50. The IAAF has made qualifications tougher. Nevertheless, for several years I have been doing things which were not done by my compatriots. I can springing surprises,” he told PTI in an interview here. Johnson’s personal best time is 3:37.86, which he set at Gold Coast CWG, last year. Johnson said he understands the requirements of IAAF to have only 40-45 participants to make the event highly competitive and that’s why the qualification parameters for the World Championships and the Olympics are tough.