Curtis Thompson opened his 2025 season with the No. 1 javelin throw in the world this year.
Thompson, a 2014 Florence graduate, threw a lifetime-best 287-11 at the Texas Relays Friday afternoon at Mike Myers Stadium in Austin.
That bumps Sumedha Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka out of the No. 1 spot on the World Athletics list. Ranasinghe threw 281-5 earlier this month at Mahinda Rajapaksha Stadium in Diyagama, Sri Lanka.
Thompson’s previous best was a 287-9 at American JavFest in East Stroudsburg, Pa., in July 2022.
His 287-11 is No. 3 in U.S. history behind Breaux Greer [299-6 in Indianapolis in 2007] and Tom Petranoff [292-6 in Potchefstroom, Russia, in 1991].
Thompson is a four-time U.S. champion and two-time Olympic Trials champion. He won U.S. titles in 2018, 2021, 2023 and 2024 and the Trials in 2021 and 2024. He competed in the 2021 Olympics Tokyo and 2024 Games in Paris after missing qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro by 15 inches.
Thompson broke the meet record of 274-2 set by former world record holder Patrik Bodén of Sweden and the University of Texas at the 1990 meet at the University of Texas’s Memorial Stadium, across the street from Mike Myers Stadium.
Thompson, in his first meet since the Olympics seven months ago, opened with a 257-2 before hitting the 287-11 on his 2nd attempt. He added two more throws over 270 feet – 276-11 and 271-9 on his 3rd and 4th throws before finishing with two fouls.
The 276-11 is his 3rd-best throw ever, and the 271-9 is his 10th-best. This is the first time he’s thrown 270 feet or more three times in the same meet and the first time he’s thrown 275 feet twice in the same meet.
Curtis Thompson’s 270-foot throws
287-11 … Texas Relays, Austin, Texas, March 28, 2025 [2nd throw]
287-9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022 [2nd throw]
276-11 … Texas Relays, Austin, Texas, March 28, 2025 [3rd throw]
276-4 … NACAC, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Bahamas, Aug. 20, 2022 [3rd throw]
274-11 … Athletissima, La Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland, Aug. 26, 2022 [1st throw]
273-4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022 [1st throw]
272-5 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 23, 2024 [1st throw]
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016 [1st throw]
271-10 … Spitzen Leichtathletik, Luzern, Switzerland, Aug. 30, 2022 [3rd throw]
271-9 … Texas Relays, Austin, Texas, March 28, 2025 [4th throw]
271-7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021 [6th throw]
271-0 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 13, 2024 [1st throw]
270-3 … Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Invitational, Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland, Aug. 6, 2022 [2nd throw]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 