In one of his final warmups for U.S. Nationals, Curtis Thompson won the javelin at the Iron Wood Classic at the Iron Wood Throwers Center in Rathdrum, Idaho, Saturday.
Thompson threw 268-10 according to results on the World Athletics site, but they don’t show his series. Results of the meet on Athletic.Live don’t even show the javelin being held.
But either way, it’s Thompson’s best result since April, when he threw slightly farther [268-11] at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational at Millican Field in Ramona, Okla.
And it’s the 6th-best throw by an American this year, behind two other throws by Thompson and three by one-time Penn athlete Mark Minichello.
Thompson is U.S. No. 1 and World No. 3 with his PR 287-11 at the Texas Relays in Austin in March.
Thompson and Minichello have accounted for 10 of the top 11 throws by Americans this year, Thompson at No. 1, 5, 6, 8 and 11 and Minichello at No. 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10. Donvan Banks is at No. 7.
The U.S. Championships are scheduled for July 1-Aug. 3 in Eugene, Ore., with the javelin final scheduled for 1:20 p.m. July 31.
The only U.S. athletes with more national javelin titles than Thompson are Breaux Greer [8 from 2000-2007], Tom Pukstys [6 from 1992-1999] and Bud Held [6 from 1949 through 1958].
Thompson is expected to throw at American Javfest July 19 in East Stroudsburg, Pa., before heading to nationals.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 