Obadele Thompson

Obadele Thompson

Obadele Thompson, 1993
Personal information
Birth name Obadele Olutoson Thompson
Nationality  Barbadian
Born (1976-03-30) 30 March 1976
Sport
Sport Sprint
Event(s) 100 metres, 200 metres
Medal record
Men’s Athletics
Representing  Barbados
Olympic Games
2000 Sydney 100 m
World Indoor Championships
1999 Maebashi 200 m
Central American and Caribbean Games
1998 Maracaibo 100 m
CAC Championships
1993 Cali 100 m
1995 Guatemala City 100 m
1995 Guatemala City 200 m
1999 Bridgetown 100 m
1999 Bridgetown 4×100 m relay
2001 Guatemala City 4×100 m relay
1995 Guatemala City 4×100 m relay
Commonwealth Games
1998 Kuala Lumpur 100 m
CAC Junior Championships (U20)
1994 Port of Spain 100 m
1994 Port of Spain 200 m
CARIFTA Games
Junior (U20)
1993 Fort-de-France 100m
1994 Bridgetown 100m
1994 Bridgetown 200m
1992 Nassau 4x100 m relay
1993 Fort-de-France 200m
1993 Fort-de-France 4x100m relay
CARIFTA Games
Youth (U17)
1991 Port of Spain 100m
1992 Nassau 100m
1992 Nassau 200m
1991 Port of Spain 200m

Obadele Thompson (born 30 March 1976) is a sprint athlete from Barbados. In 2000, he became the first (and to date, only) Olympic medalist from Barbados with a bronze medal in the 100m race.

Biography

Thompson after winning the bronze medal in Sydney, 2000

Born in Saint Michael, Thompson attended Harrison College before earning a scholarship, and graduated with honours with a degree in marketing and economics from the University of Texas at El Paso, United States.

On 21 February 2007 Thompson announced his engagement to Marion Jones. The marriage took place in a private ceremony on 24 February 2007 in North Carolina with close friends and family in attendance.[1] Their first child together, son Ahmir, was born in July 2007. A daughter, Eva-Marie, was born in June 2009.[2][3]

Career

Starting his career, he competed very successfully at the CARIFTA Games and the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships. In 1994, he was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy for the most outstanding athlete of the 1994 CARIFTA Games.[4][5]

A junior season's best performance holder in 1994, he came close to winning an Olympic medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, when he finished 4th in the 200 m final, which was won by Michael Johnson in a new World Record time.

Competing with the top sprinters in the late 1990s, Thompson came close to major wins at the 1999 World Championships. He finished fourth in both the 100 m and 200 m.

He won a medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, finishing third behind Maurice Greene and Trinidad and Tobago's Ato Boldon. Thompson came in fourth place in the 200 m race.

In April 1996 in El Paso, Texas, Thompson ran the then-fastest 100 m race ever. He was clocked at the time of 9.69 s.[6] However, it was achieved with a 5.0 m/s tail wind, well over the IAAF legal limit of 2.0 m/s, and the mark was not officially recognized. His time was bettered by Tyson Gay 12 years later who ran a 9.68s 100m aided by a 4.1 m/s tail wind at the 2008 US trials. Thompson's 9.69 time was later matched legally by Usain Bolt at the 2008 Olympic Games, who recorded the same time but with a 0.0 m/s tail wind. In 2009 World Championships in Athletics Bolt bettered his world record to 9.58s, with a tailwind of +0.9 m/s.

His fastest legal time in the 100 m is 9.87, and he ran his personal best in the 200 m at 19.97 in 2000.

After the 2000 Olympics, Thompson was made "Ambassador and Special Envoy to the Youth" by former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur.

Personal life

On 24 February 2007, Obadele Thomspon married Marion Jones, former world champion track and field athlete, and former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA.[1] Their first child together was born in July 2007.[7] Their second child, Eva-Marie, was born on 28 June 2009.[3]

Personal bests

Event Venue Time Date
55 m U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs 5.99 22 February 1997
60m Fairfax, Virginia 6.56 19 February 1999
100 m Johannesburg, South Africa 9.87 11 September 1998
200 m Yokohama, Japan 19.97 9 September 2000
400 m El Paso, Texas 45.38 30 March 1996

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Barbados
1991 CARIFTA Games (U-17) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 1st 100 m 10.5   (2.6 m/s) w
3rd 200 m 22.26
1992 CARIFTA Games (U-17) Nassau, Bahamas 1st 100 m 10.59 w
2nd 200 m 21.61
CARIFTA Games (U-20) 2nd 4 × 100 m relay 41.84
1993 CARIFTA Games (U-20) Fort-de-France, Martinique 1st 100 m 10.71   (-0.9 m/s)
2nd 200 m 21.42   (-0.3 m/s)
3rd 4 × 100 m relay 42.47
Central American and Caribbean Championships Cali, Colombia 1st 100 m 10.30 w
Pan American Junior Championships Winnipeg, Canada 3rd 100m 10.76
2nd 200m 21.18 w
1994 CARIFTA Games (U-20) Bridgetown, Barbados 1st 100 m 10.33
1st 200 m 20.71
Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships Port of Spain, Trinidad 1st 100m 10.0   (-0.3 m/s)
1st 200m 21.1   (-0.2 m/s)
World Junior Championships Lisbon, Portugal 4th 100m 10.29 (wind: +1.2 m/s)
5th (sf) 200 m 21.28 (wind: +1.9 m/s)
1995 Central American and Caribbean Championships Guatemala City, Guatemala 1st 100 m 10.18 A
1st 200 m 20.49 A CR
Universiade Fukuoka, Japan 2nd 100 m 10.34   (1.3 m/s)
World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 5th (qf) 100 m 10.30   (-0.5 m/s)
7th (sf) 200 m 20.66   (-0.9 m/s)
1996 NCAA Indoor Championships Indianapolis, United States 1st 200m 20.36
Olympic Games Atlanta, United States 6th (sf) 100m 10.16   (-0.5 m/s)
4th 200m 20.14   (0.4 m/s)
1997 NCAA Indoor Championships Indianapolis, United States 1st 200m 20.67
NCAA Outdoor Championships Bloomington, United States 1st 100 m 10.13
1st 200 m 20.03
World Championships Athens, Greece 6th (sf) 100 m 10.30   (-0.8 m/s)
6th 200m 20.37   (2.3 m/s) w
IAAF Grand Prix Final Fukuoka, Japan 2nd 200 m 20.19   (0.3 m/s)
1998 Commonwealth Games Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 3rd 100m 10.00
IAAF World Cup Johannesburg, South Africa 1st 100 m 9.87   (-0.2 m/s) NR
IAAF Grand Prix Final Moscow, Russia 2nd 100 m 10.11   (0.1 m/s)
Central American and Caribbean Games Maracaibo, Venezuela 1st 100 m 10.20
1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships Maebashi, Japan 2nd 200 m 20.26
Central American and Caribbean Championships Bridgetown, Barbados 1st 100 m 10.23
World Championships Seville, Spain 4th 100 m 10.00   (0.2 m/s)
4th 200 m 20.23   (1.2 m/s)
IAAF Grand Prix Final Munich, Germany 4th 200 m 20.21   (-0.8 m/s)
2000 Summer Olympics Sydney, Australia 3rd 100 m 10.04   (-0.3 m/s)
4th 200 m 20.20   (-0.6 m/s)
2001 World Championships Edmonton, Canada 5th (sf) 100 m 10.31   (-1.7 m/s)
2002 Commonwealth Games Manchester, England — 100 m DNS (qf)
2003 World Championships Paris, France 4th (qf) 100 m 10.14   (0.6 m/s)
2004 Summer Olympics Athens, Greece 7th 100 m 10.10   (0.6 m/s)
2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships Nassau, Bahamas 4th 200m 20.53   (1.8 m/s)
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 6th (qf) 100 m 10.34   (-1.0 m/s)
— 200 m DNS (h)

References

  1. 1 2 Cherry, Gene (7 March 2007). "Sprinters Jones and Thompson married, says minister". Reuters.
  2. ↑ Jones, Maggie (30 April 2010). "What Makes Marion Jones Run?". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 Michaelis, Vicki (17 May 2010). "Marion Jones hits ground running, starts fresh in WNBA". USA Today.
  4. ↑ Carifta Games Magazine, Part 2 (PDF), Carifta Games 2011, retrieved 12 Oct 2011
  5. ↑ Carifta Games Magazine, Part 3 (PDF), Carifta Games 2011, retrieved 12 Oct 2011
  6. ↑ IAAF (Thompson, 9.69w)
  7. ↑ "CNN Newsroom: Jones Doping Case; Tax Standoff Ends; Myanmar Crackdown". CNN Transcripts. 5 October 2007.
Records
Olympic Games
Preceded by
Elvis Forde		 Flagbearer for  Barbados
Atlanta 1996 		Succeeded by
Andrea Blackett
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