Curtis Thompson bombed that 284-4 on his first throw at the World Championships and that put the rest of the field in chase mode.
And when it began raining halfway through the competition, that made chose mode miuch more difficult.
Thompson’s 284-4 hung on for third place, a bronze medal and made the 2014 Florence graduate the first American in 18 years to reach the podium at an international championship meet.
As the conditions grew worse, Thompson’s 284-4 had a better and better chance to hold up for third. Nobody in the field had their best throw in the 5th or 6th round.
“It did feel like, man, that’s gonna maybe help me a little bit with these guys chasing me,” Thompson said in an interview that appears on RunnersPace.
“I got a little excited because I looked up and I was like, it feels like a day in practice throwing in the rain, trying to figure out where the lightning’s hitting to make sure I either go inside or don’t. But it’s all part of sports.”
Thompson generally hasn’t had his best throws on his first attempts. His previous best 1st throw was a 274-11 in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2022.
“I expected 90 [meters, 295-3] to take the medal,” he said. “So expectations are really high to try and get a medal. So was I satisfied with that (first throw)? Of course. It was a great start.”
Thompson is only the third American ever to medal at Worlds and the first since Breaux Greer took 3rd in 2007. His 284-4 is the 2nd-best throw ever by an American at the World Championships.
“It means the world,” Thompson said in an interview on the athletics web site of his alma mater, Mississippi State. “I’m extremely happy to have been able to throw well and bring home the world bronze.
“I was not the favorite, but I always believed in myself. I always try to win, no matter what, no matter who’s there. I came here to get a medal, and I made it. I had ups and downs during my preparation, but I kept trusting the process and I knew I was ready for this moment.”
Thompson had thrown 275 feet just twice before this year, a 276-4 in the Bahamas in August 2022 and 287-9 in East Stroudsburg in July 2022. He surpassed 275 feet eight times this year, including three times in Tokyo – 277-11 in Tuesday’s qualifying and a 279-10 on his 3rd throw Wednesday.
Thompson had 10 of the 14-best throws by an American this year and now owns three of the top 11 throws ever by Americans.
“For the past, I don’t know how many years, every meet I go into, I expect to try and get a medal, no matter who’s there,” he said. “And to be able to execute this year, very, very happy with the way we put together, me and my team, put everything together.”
Worlds capped a remarkable year for Thompson, who won his 5th U.S. title and had six of the eight-best throws of his life,
“We changed a couple of things technically, focused on consistency, to be able to be confident in what we’re doing in training, so that when we get into a meet, we don’t have to think or second guess what we’re doing,” he said. “So it just became second nature.”
The list of Americans who’ve medaled either in a World Championships or Olympics is very short.
Eugene Oberst won bronze at the 1924 Paris Olympics, with the javelin actually held in nearby Colombes, Cy Young Jr. won gold at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Tom Petranoff won silver at the 1983 Worlds, also in Helsinki, and Greer was 3rd in 2007 in Osaka.
Thompson is trying to single-handedly jumpstart American javelin throwing.
“It means a lot,” he said of being the first U.S. international medalist in 18 years. “I’m hoping this continues to change the kind of standard that’s here in the U.S. for javelin. I’m excited for the future of U.S. javelin because this is just going to continue to grow over the years.”
This was Thompson’s final meet until next spring and if anything is going to get him a sponsor it’s getting to the podium at a major international championship meet.
“Hopefully this changes something,” he said. “But either way, continue to do what we’re doing and make it happen.
“I just know we’ll continue to focus on what we need to focus on to be able to continue to improve and maintain a certain standard or level of consistency that we’ve built over the past few years.”
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 