From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Curtis Thompson recorded his best throw this year, the 3^rd-best throw in the world this year and his 6^th-best throw ever Friday at the Doha Diamond League meet at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar.

Thompson, a 2014 Florence graduate and five-time U.S. champion, hit 282-1 on his 1^st throw of the competition. It’s the fourth straight meet that he’s had his best throw on his 1^st throw. It’s his best 1^st throw since a 284-4 at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.

Thompson finished 3^rd, behind World Championship finalist Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka [290-11] and two-time world champion and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Andersen Peters of Grenada [283-4]. Thompson and Peters were teammates at Mississippi State.

Neeraj Chopra of India was 4th with a 281-1. This was Thompson’s 3rd career win over the 2021 Olympic gold medalist.

Thompson, a two-time Olympian and 2025 World Championships bronze medalist, ranks 3rd in U.S. history with his PR 287-11 at last year’s Texas Relays in Austin. That’s the best throw by an American since Breaux Greer’s 299-6 in Indianapolis in 2007.

Curtis Thompson All-Time 270-Foot Throws
287-11 … Texas Relays, Austin, Texas, March 28, 2025 [2^nd throw]
287-9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022 [2^ndthrow]
286-2 … NACAC, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Freeport, Bahamas, Aug. 17, 2025 [2^nd throw]
284-4 … World Championships, Tokyo, Sept. 18, 2025 [1^st throw]
282-8 … NACAC, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Bahamas, Aug. 20, 2025 [3^rd throw]
282-1 … Doha Diamond League, Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar, June 19, 2026 [1^st throw]
279-11 … Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, Ramona, Okla., April 10, 2026 [1^stthrow]
279-10 … World Championships, Tokyo, Sept. 18, 2025 [3^rd throw]
277-11 … World Championships qualifying, Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 17, 2025 [2^nd throw]
278-6 … Lone Star Grand Prix, Bryan-College Station, Texas, June 6, 2026 [1^st throw]
277-8 … Drake Relays, Drake Stadium, Des Moines, Idaho, April 23, 2026 [5^th throw]
276-11 … Texas Relays, Austin, Texas, March 28, 2025 [3^rd throw]
276-4 … NACAC, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Bahamas, Aug. 20, 2022 [3^rd throw]
275-2 … USATF Championships, Eugene, Ore., July 31, 2025 [4^th throw]
275-2 … Golden Gala Pietro Mennea Diamond Disciplien, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, June 4, 2026 [1st throw]
275-1 … Lone Star Grand Prix, Bryan-College Station, Texas, June 6, 2026 [6^th throw]
274-11 … Athletissima, La Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland, Aug. 26, 2022 [1^st throw]
273-4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022 [1^stthrow]
272-5 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 23, 2024 [1^st throw]
272-4 … Doha Diamond League, Doha, Qatar, June 19, 2026 [4^th throw]
272-1 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 23, 2026 [1^st throw]
272-1 … Golden Gala Pietro Mennea Diamond Disciplien, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, June 4, 2026  [2nd throw] 271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016 [1^st throw]
271-10 … Spitzen Leichtathletik, Luzern, Switzerland, Aug. 30, 2022 [3^rd throw]
271-9 … Texas Relays, Austin, Texas, March 28, 2025 [4^th 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]
270-5 … Golden Gala Pietro Mennea Diamond Disciplien, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, June 4, 2026  [5th throw] 270-3 … Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Invitational, Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland, Aug. 6, 2022 [2nd throw]