Wednesday, March 5, 2008; Page E08

The more he thinks about it, the more absurd the proposition: Allen Johnson wants to win another Olympic gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles in Beijing.

Johnson, who won the Olympic gold 12 years ago in Atlanta, turned 37 Saturday. He has been injured for most of the last two seasons. The high hurdles are, arguably, the most competitive event on the track program. And, oh yes, Chinese mega-star Liu Xiang, the reigning Olympic champ in the event, will be competing in front of his home crowd.

Johnson, a 1989 graduate of Lake Braddock High, is going after the gold anyway.

He can already hear the laughter, because some of it is his own.