In his Diamond League debut, Curtis Thompson popped the 5th-best throw of his life and placed 3rd in the javelin in a meet in Poland.
Thompson threw 270-3 at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Invitational at Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, Poland.
Despite 32 hours of travel to reach southern Poland, rainy conditions conditions and a borrowed javelin, Thompson surpassed 270 feet, which he had only done in three previous meets.
Thompson set his PR of 287-9 – No. 3 in U.S. history – and also threw 273-4 at the American JavFest in East Stroudsburg, last month, and hit 271-11 at the 2016 Olympic Trials in Eugene and 271-7 at last year’s Olympic Trials in Eugene. The full list of all his lifetime 260-foot throws is below.
This was Thompson’s first meet since he placed 11th at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene last month.
With conditions getting worse, nobody had their best throw of the competition on their 5th or 6th throw. Thompson followed his 270-3 on his 2nd attempt with a 261-6 on his 3rd. This was the 4th meet of Thompson’s career that he’s surpassed 260 feet twice in the same series. Three of those have been this year.
Three-time Olympian and 2021 silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic won the meet with a throw of 284-4 and Germany’s Julian Weber, an Olympian in 2016, was 2nd at 278-8.
CURTIS THOMPSON ALL-TIME 260-FOOT THROWS
287- 9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
273- 4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016
271- 7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021
270- 3 … Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Invitational, Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland, Aug. 6, 2022
269- 7 …American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
268- 1 … Oregon Relays, Hayward Field, Eugene, April 23, 2022
268- 1 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 4 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 2 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
266- 5 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
265-10 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 17, 2021
265-10 … Florida State Relays, Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Fla., March 25, 2016
265- 7 … Victoria Track Classic, Centennial Stadium, Victoria, British Columbia, June 15, 2022
264- 8 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
264- 1 … USATF Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
263-10 … 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas, March 25, 2022
261- 6 … Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Invitational, Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland, Aug. 6, 2022
260-11 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 30, 2016
260- 1 … NACAC Under-23, San Salvador, Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González, June 17, 2016
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 