From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Curtis Thompson, a 2014 Florence High School graduate and five-time U.S. javelin hampion, bombed a 277-11 to automatically advance to the finals of the javelin at the World Championships in Tokyo Wednesday.

That’s the 5th-best throw of his life and his best ever in an international championship meet.

The top 12 throwers of 36 qualifiers competing in two groups advance to Thursday’s finals, but anybody hitting 84.50 meters – 272-2 – automatically advanced.

Thompson did that on his second attempt in the qualifying round, and that meant he didn’t need to take his 3rd attempt.

The final is scheduled for 6:23 a.m. EST Thursday back at Tokyo National Stadium.

Overall, Thompson had the 7th-best throw, although throws in the qualifying rounds don’t carry over to the final. He was one of seven auto qualifiers.

Only one American has ever thrown farther in the World Championships since the advent of the new javelin in 1986 (also back to the initial Worlds in 1983). That was Breaux Greer, who threw 285-5 when he placed 4th at the 2001 meet in Edmonton, Alberta, and 287-11 when he won in 2007 in Osaka, Japan.

Thompson is only the second American to reach two World Championships javelin finals. Greer was a finalist in 2001 and 2007.

Thompson has thrown at least 275 feet in each of his last three meets – 275-2 to win the U.S. Championships in Eugene on July 31, 286-2 and 282-8 to win the NACAC Championships in Freeport, the Bahamas, on Aug. 17 and 20 and 277-11 on Wednesday. He had only thrown 275 in two meets before this summer.

Thompson, a two-time Olympian and five-time U.S. champion, placed 11th in the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore., with a throw of 257-2..

Thompson opened with a 255-9 before popping his eighth lifetime throw of at least 275 feet. Six of his eight-best lifetime throws have come since March.

Thompson’s 287-11 from the Texas Relays in March 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] and No. 4 in the world this year.

Three throwers in Group A and four in Group B hit the auto standard. Twelfth place – the cutoff to advance – was 271-7

The other American, former Penn athlete Marc Anthony Minichello placed 18th overall with a 264-0, missing the cutoff by about 7 ½ feet. Minichello attended Wyoming High School in Exeter, Pa., near Scranton.

Thompson ia ruw only American since Sean Furey in 2009 to reach a World Championships javelin final, and he’s reached two.

Thompson has nine of the 13-best throws by Americans this year. Minichello has three of the other four.

Anderson Peters of Grenada, a two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist – and Thompson’s teammate at Mississippi State – led all qualifiers into Thursday’s final with a throw of 293-8.

Since 1983, when all international championship meets went to a 12-athlete final, only five other throwers have reached the World Championships final and only two others have reached two finals.

Here’s a look at every U.S. man who has reached a World Championships javelin final in meet history:
1983 [Helsinki]
Tom Petranoff, 280-10 [2^nd] (threw 281-1 in qualifying)
1987 [Rome]
Tom Petranoff, 4^th [266-8]
Duncan Atwood, 12^th [237-11] (threw 258-11 in qualifying)
1991 [Tokyo]
None
1993 [Stuttgart]
Tom Pukstys, 9^th [255-7] (threw 261-11 in qualifying)
1995 [Gothebburg]
None
1997 [Athens]
None
1999 [Seville]
None
2001 [Edmonton]
Breaux Greer, 4^th [285-5]
2003 [[Paris]
None
2005 [Helsinki]
None
2007 [Osaka]
Breaux Greer, 3^rd [284-8] (threw 282-10 in qualifying)
2009 [Berlin]
Sean Furey, 12^th [244-5] (threw 260-1 in qualifying)
2011 [Daegu]
2013 [Moscow]
2015 [Beijing]
2017 [London]
2019 [Doha]
None
2022
Curtis Thompson, 11^th [257-2] (threw 268-1 in qualifying)
2023 [Bueapest]
None
2025 [okyo]
Curtis Thompson

Qualifiers to final
293-8 … Anderson Peters [Grenada]
286-1 … Julian Weber [Germany]
282-0 … Julius Yego [Kenya]
281-0 … Dawid Wegner [Poland]
279-9  … Arshad Nadeem [Pakistan]
279-4 … Neeraj Chopra [India]
277-11 … Curtis Thompson [Florence Flashes]
275-11 … Jakub Vadlejch [Czech Republic]
275-4 … Keshorn Walcott [Trinidad and Tobago]
274-6 … Sachin Yadav [Indonesia]
272-4 … Cameron McIntyre [Australia]
271-7 … Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage [Sri Lanka]

Curtis Thompson All-Time 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]
286-2 … NACAC, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Freeport, Bahamas, Aug. 17, 2025 [2nd throw]
282-8 … NACAC, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Bahamas, Aug. 20, 2025 [3rd throw]
277-11 … World Championships qualifying, Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 17, 2025 [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]
275-2 … USATC Championships, Eugene, Ore., July 31, 2025 [4th 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]
270-6 … USATF Championships, Eugene, Ore., July 31, 2025 [6th throw]
270-3 … Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Invitational, Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland, Aug. 6, 2022 [2nd throw]