Obadele Thompson
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Template:MedalTop Template:MedalSport Template:MedalBronze Template:MedalBottom Obadele Thompson (born March 30, 1976) is a sprint athlete from Barbados.
In 2000, he became the first Olympic medalist for his island nation.
Born in Saint Michael, Thompson attended Harrison College before earning a scholarship where pusued a degree in marketing and economics at the University of Texas at Austin, United States.
A Junior world record holder in 1994, he came close to winning an Olympic medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, when he finished 4th in the 200 m. final, which was won by Michael Johnson in a new World Record time.
Competing with the top sprinters in the late 1990s, Thompson came close to major wins at the 1999 World Championships. He finished fourth in both the 100 m. and 200 m.
He won a medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, finishing third behind Maurice Greene to become a national hero in Barbados. Thompson came in fourth place in the 200 m. race.
In April 1996 in El Paso, Texas, Obadele ran the fastest 100 m race ever. He was clocked at the incredible time of 9.69 s. However, it was achieved with the following wind in excess of 5 m/s, well over the IAAF legal limit of 2.0 m/s, and the mark was not officially recognized.
His fastest legal 100 m. is 9.87. and 200 m. personal best is 19.97 in 2000.
Personal Bests
| Date | Event | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 11, 1998 | 100m | Johannesburg, South Africa | 9.87 |
| September 9, 2000 | 200m | Yokohama, Japan | 19.97 |
| March 30, 1996 | 400m | El Paso, Texas | 45.38 |
Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | IAAF Grand Prix | Fukuoka, Japan | 2nd | 200m |
| 1998 | IAAF World Cup | Johannesburg, South Africa | 1st | 100m |
| 1998 | IAAF Golden League / Grand Prix | Moskva, Russia | 2nd | 100m |
| 1999 | IAAF World Championships | Sevilla, Spain | 4th | 100m |
| 1999 | IAAF Grand Prix | Munich, Germany | 4th | 200m |
| 1999 | IAAF World Championships | Sevilla, Spain | 4th | 200m |
| 1999 | IAAF World Indoor Championships | Maebashi, Japan | 2nd | 200m |
| 2000 | 2000 Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia | 3rd | 100m |
| 2000 | 2000 Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia | 4th | 200m |
| 2004 | 2004 Summer Olympics | Athens, Greece | 7th | 100m |