John Ertzgaard

John Ertzgaard (born June 18, 1977, in Nairobi, Kenya) is a Kenyan-Norwegian former athlete who specialized in the sprinting events.

His father is Norwegian and his mother is Ugandan. His mother, a member of the Lango people, had escaped to Kenya as a refugee during Idi Amin's reign in Uganda. Ertzgaard's father worked for the development agency Norad, and the family lived in Kenya and Zambia before they moved to Norway when Ertzgaard was nine.

His only major medal was the gold in 200 meters at the 1999 European U23 Championships. He competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney without advancing to the second round. The biggest success of his career was reaching the semifinals of the 1999 World Championships in Seville.

Competition record

Personal Best Outdoor 100 m – 10.25 (Edmonton 2001) 200 m – 20.47 (Gothenburg 1999) 400 m – 46.80 (2001)

Indoor 60 m – 6.70 (Vienna 2002) 100 m – 10.47 (Tampere 2000) 200 m – 21.08 (Gothenburg 2000)