Donald Thomas (athlete)

Donald Thomas

Donald Thomas celebrating in Osaka 2007
Personal information
Nationality	Bahamian
Born	1 July 1984 Freeport, Bahamas
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	High jump
College team	Auburn Tigers
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  Bahamas World Championships 2007 Osaka High jump Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi High jump Pan American Games 2011 Guadalajara High jump 2007 Rio de Janeiro High jump CAC Games 2010 Mayaguez High Jump Continental Cup 2010 Split High jump

Donald Thomas (born 1 July 1984) is a Bahamian high jumper from Freeport, Bahamas.

Biography

Thomas took up the sport in early 2006, having previously played basketball at Lindenwood University.^[1] He cleared 2.22 metres in his first meet, and just months later he placed second at the 2006 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships with a height of 7-01.75 and finished fourth at the 2006 Commonwealth Games with a 2.23 m jump.

In the 2007 indoor season he cleared 2.30 metres for the first time, and eventually jumped 2.33 metres in March in Fayetteville, Arkansas.^[2] In July 2007 he cleared 2.35 metres on the world record track in Salamanca, Spain. The result was a new personal best and the world season's best at the time.^[1][3] He then won the World Championships in Osaka, again with a 2.35 jump. He also won gold at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final.^[4] That year, he also won the IAAF Newcomer of the Year, and the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association Athlete of the Year.^[5]

The Olympic competition in 2008 however, turned out a major disappointment for Thomas, who only made 2.20 in the qualifying round and finished 21st overall.^[6]

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  Bahamas
2006	Commonwealth Games	Melbourne, Australia	4th	2.23 m
	NACAC U23 Championships	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	2nd	2.21 m
	Central American and Caribbean Games	Cartagena, Colombia	4th	2.13 m
2007	Pan American Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	2nd	2.30 m
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	1st	2.35 m
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	21st (q)	2.20 m
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	15th (q)	2.27 m
2010	World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	15th (q)	2.18 m
	Central American and Caribbean Games	Mayagüez, Puerto Rico	1st	2.28 m
	Commonwealth Games	Delhi, India	1st	2.32 m
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	11th	2.20 m
	Pan American Games	Guadalajara, Mexico	1st	2.32 m
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	15th (q)	2.22 m
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	30th (q)	2.16 m
2013	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Morelia, Mexico	–	NM
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	6th	2.32 m
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot, Poland	–	NM
	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	9th	2.21 m
2015	Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada	3rd	2.28 m
	World Championships	Beijing, China	6th	2.29 m
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, United States	10th	2.25 m

References

1. Valiente, Emeterio (2007-07-05). "2.35 World lead for Donald Thomas in Salamanca". IAAF.org. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
2. Dunaway, James (2007-03-11). "Thomas clears 2.33m, as Hastings blazes women’s 400 in 50.80 - NCAA Indoor Champs, Day 2". IAAF.org. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
3. IAAF Top Lists High Jump 2007 (men)
4. Bahamian Thomas wins high jump gold on YouTube
5. "Commonwealth Games Biography - Donald Thomas". 8 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
6. "Donald Thomas Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-08-18.

External links

• Donald Thomas profile at IAAF
• Auburn Tigers bio
• 2006 Commonwealth Games profile