- Daley Thompson
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Daley Thompson
CBE
Daley Thompson at the 2007 Laureus DayPersonal information Nationality British Born 30 July 1958
Notting Hill, London, United KingdomSport Sport Decathlon Club Essex Beagles Achievements and titles Personal best(s) Decathlon 8,847 points Medal recordCompetitor for Great Britain Men's athletics Olympic Games Gold 1980 Moscow Decathlon Gold 1984 Los Angeles Decathlon World Championships Gold 1983 Helsinki Decathlon European Championships Silver 1978 Prague Decathlon Gold 1982 Athens Decathlon Gold 1986 Stuttgart Decathlon Bronze 1986 Stuttgart 4x100m Commonwealth Games Competitor for England Gold 1978 Edmonton Decathlon Gold 1982 Brisbane Decathlon Gold 1986 Edinburgh Decathlon Silver 1986 Edinburgh 4x100m Francis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson CBE (born 30 July 1958),[1] is a former decathlete from England. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times.
With four world records, two Olympic gold medals, three Commonwealth titles, and wins in the World and European Championships, Thompson is considered by many to be the greatest decathlete of all time. Robert Chalmers described him as "the greatest all-round athlete this country [Great Britain] has ever produced."[2]
Contents
Biography
Thompson was born in Notting Hill, London, the second son of a Nigerian father and Scottish mother. His father was taxi driver who was shot dead in Streatham when Thompson was about twelve. At seven years old Thompson was sent on a Farley Close boarding school, Bolney, Sussex, which he described as "a place for troubled children". Thompson's name is a contraction of Ayodele, an African word meaning "joy comes home". Thompson's first ambition was to become a professional footballer, but he later switched his interests to athletics.[2]
Career
Early Career
Initially, he was a member of Haywards Heath Harriers, but when he returned to London in 1975 he joined the Essex Beagles club, training as a sprinter. He began to be coached by Bob Mortimer, who suggested he try for decathlon. He competed in his first decathlon later that year in Cwmbran, Wales, which he won along with his next competition. In 1976 he won the AAA title and was 18th at the Montréal Olympic Games. The following year, he won the European Junior title and in 1978 came the first of his three Commonwealth titles. In 1979, he failed to finish in his only decathlon of that year, but won the long jump at the UK Championships.
1982-1986-breaking records
Thompson opened the 1980 Olympic season with a world decathlon record of 8,648 points at Götzis, Austria, in May, and followed this with a comfortable win at the Moscow Olympics. After a quiet 1981 season, he was in devastating form in 1982; back at Götzis in May, he raised the world record to 8,730 points and then in September, at the European Championships in Athens, he took the record up to 8,774 points. The following month in Brisbane, Thompson took his second Commonwealth title. In 1983, Daley won the inaugural World Championships and became the first decathlete to hold the European, World and Olympic titles simultaneously. He spent much of the summer of 1984 in California preparing for the defence of his Olympic title, with Jürgen Hingsen, the West German who had suceeded Thompson as the world record holder, expected to be a major threat. Thompson took the lead in the first event and was never headed throughout the competition, although it seemed that, by easing off in the 1,500 metres he had missed tying the world record by just one point. When the photo-finish pictures were examined, however, it was found that Thompson should have been credited with one more point in the 110 metres hurdles so he had in fact, equalled Hingsen’s record. Then when the new scoring tables were introduced, Thompson became the sole record holder once more with a recalculated score of 8,847 points – a world record that stood until 1992, when it was surpassed by the American athlete Dan O'Brien with a score of 8891. His two victories in the decathlon are a feat shared only with the American Bob Mathias. Thompson's 1984 performance is still the UK record.
1987-1990-defeat and injury
After his Olympic success, Thompson won his third Commonwealth title in 1986 but after that he never quite recaptured the superlative form of earlier years. In 1987 he suffered his first decathlon defeat for nine years when he finished ninth in the World Championships, and at his third Olympics in Seoul in 1988 he finished fourth. He made the Commonwealth Games team for the fourth time in 1990, but was forced to withdraw because of injury
After athletics
Thompson was forced to retire from athletics in 1992, due to a persistent hamstring injury. In the 1990s he played professional football for Mansfield Town and Stevenage Borough F.C., and then worked as fitness coach for Wimbledon F.C. and Luton Town football clubs.[3] He also took part in motorsport, entering the Ford Credit Fiesta Challenge Championship in 1994.[4]
Thompson worked as a fitness trainer and motivational speaker, as well as appearing at corporate events. He was also well known for his appearances in commercials for the drink Lucozade in the 1980s. Thompson's name was used for three officially licensed home computer games by Ocean Software in the 1980s: Daley Thompson's Decathlon, Daley Thompson's Supertest, and Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge.
Thompson is an ambassador for the London 2012 Olympics, focusing during the bid stage on highlighting the benefits that hosting the Olympics would bring to education and sport in schools.[5] He also took part in the 2011 TV series Jamie's Dream School.[6]
Rivalry with Jürgen Hingsen
Thompson's rivalry with West German athlete Jürgen Hingsen was legendary in the sport throughout the 1980s. The pair consistently traded world records, but Thompson always had the upper hand in the major events, remaining undefeated in all competitions for nine years between 1979 and 1987.
Public Persona
Thompson was a natural showman who endeared himself to the British public with his irreverent personality, notably when he whistled the British national anthem God Save the Queen with studied insouciance after receiving his gold medal in 1984. Afterwards, he famously sent a message to friends back home via a TV interview, showing his medal and saying "I've got the Big G, boys - the Big G!" Sometimes Thompson's behaviour caused offence, not least when he refused to carry the English flag at the opening ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games, claiming that the effort required participating in the four-and-a-half hour ceremony would reduce his chances of winning his event. He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award the same year. Making his acceptance speech during the live broadcast of the programme Thompson uttered an obscenity, which caused media comment. Despite this, he was awarded the MBE in 1982, the OBE in 1986, and the CBE in 2000.
Personal life
Thompson has two children with partner Lisa, and three with ex-wife Trish.[3]
References
- ^ "Daley Thompson". 100Great Black Britons, com. http://www.100greatblackbritons.com/bios/daley_thompson.html. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ a b Chalmers, Robert (27 July 2008). "The champion that time forgot: Why do we find it so hard to love Daley Thompson?". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/the-champion-that-time-forgot-why-do-we-find-it-so-hard-to-love-daley-thompson-876424.html. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Daley Thompson - The Bubble Burst - Where is he now?". The Bubble Burst. 1958-07-30. http://www.thebubbleburst.co.uk/bb.php?entry=Daley%20Thompson. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
- ^ "Ford Credit Fiesta Championship". Homepage.ntlworld.com. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/martin.essam/FordCredit.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
- ^ "Jane Cowmeadow Communications & Management: Daley Thompson". Jccm-uk.com. http://www.jccm-uk.com/talent/daley-thompson. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
- ^ "Jamie's Dream School - Expert Profiles - Daley Thompson". Channel 4. 2011-02-14. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/jamies-dream-school/articles/daley-thompson. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
External links
- IAAF profile for Daley Thompson
- Daley Thompson Information Website
- Daley Thompson at sports-reference.com
Olympic champions in the men's all-around, pentathlon and decathlon As all-around - 1904: Tom Kiely (GBR)
As pentathlon - 1912: Jim Thorpe (USA) / Ferdinand Bie (NOR)
- 1920: Eero Lehtonen (FIN)
- 1924: Eero Lehtonen (FIN)
As decathlon - 1912: Jim Thorpe (USA) / Hugo Wieslander (SWE)
- 1920: Helge Løvland (NOR)
- 1924: Harold Osborn (USA)
- 1928: Paavo Yrjölä (FIN)
- 1932: James Bausch (USA)
- 1936: Glenn Morris (USA)
- 1948: Bob Mathias (USA)
- 1952: Bob Mathias (USA)
- 1956: Milt Campbell (USA)
- 1960: Rafer Johnson (USA)
- 1964: Willi Holdorf (EUA)
- 1968: Bill Toomey (USA)
- 1972: Mykola Avilov (URS)
- 1976: Bruce Jenner (USA)
- 1980: Daley Thompson (GBR)
- 1984: Daley Thompson (GBR)
- 1988: Christian Schenk (GDR)
- 1992: Robert Změlík (TCH)
- 1996: Dan O'Brien (USA)
- 2000: Erki Nool (EST)
- 2004: Roman Šebrle (CZE)
- 2008: Bryan Clay (USA)
World champions in men's decathlon 1983: Daley Thompson (GBR) • 1987: Torsten Voss (GDR) • 1991: – 1995: Dan O'Brien (USA) 1997: – 2001: Tomáš Dvořák (CZE) 2003: Tom Pappas (USA) • 2005: Bryan Clay (USA) • 2007: Roman Šebrle (CZE) • 2009: – 2011: Trey Hardee (USA)
European champions in men's decathlon 1934: Hans-Heinrich Sievert (GER) • 1938: Olle Bexell (SWE) • 1946: Godtfred Holmvang (NOR) • 1950: Ignace Heinrich (FRA) • 1954: Vasili Kuznetsov (URS) • 1958: Vasili Kuznetsov (URS) • 1962: Vasili Kuznetsov (URS) • 1966: Werner von Moltke (FRG) • 1969: Joachim Kirst (GDR) • 1971: Joachim Kirst (GDR) • 1974: Ryszard Skowronek (POL) • 1978: Aleksandr Grebenyuk (URS) • 1982: Daley Thompson (GBR) • 1986: Daley Thompson (GBR) • 1990: Christian Plaziat (FRA) • 1994: Alain Blondel (FRA) • 1998: Erki Nool (EST) • 2002: Roman Šebrle (CZE) • 2006: Roman Šebrle (CZE) • 2010: Romain Barras (FRA)
1966: Roy Williams (NZL) • 1970: Geoff Smith (AUS) • 1974: Mike Bull (NIR) • 1978 – 1986: Daley Thompson (ENG) • 1990 – 1994: Mike Smith (CAN) • 1998: Jagan Hames (AUS) • 2002: Claston Bernard (JAM) • 2006: Dean Macey (ENG) • 2010: Jamie Adjetey-Nelson (CAN)
World best year performance in men's decathlon 1970: Rüdiger Demmig (GDR) • 1971: Kurt Bendlin (FRG) • 1972: Mykola Avilov (URS) • 1973: Lennart Hedmark (SWE) • 1974: Ryszard Skowronek (POL) • 1975 – 1976: Bruce Jenner (USA) • 1977: Aleksandr Grebenyuk (URS) • 1978 – 1980: Guido Kratschmer (FRG) • 1981: Rainer Pottel (GDR) • 1982: Daley Thompson (GBR) • 1983: Jürgen Hingsen (FRG) • 1984: Daley Thompson (GBR) • 1985: Torsten Voss (GDR) • 1986: Daley Thompson (GBR) • 1987: Torsten Voss (GDR) • 1988: Christian Plaziat (FRA) • 1989: Dave Johnson (USA) • 1990: Christian Plaziat (FRA) • 1991 – 1993: Dan O'Brien (USA) • 1994: Eduard Hämäläinen (BLR) • 1995 – 1996: Dan O'Brien (USA) • 1997: Tomáš Dvořák (CZE) • 1998: Dan O'Brien (USA) • 1999 – 2000: Tomáš Dvořák (CZE) • 2001 – 2004: Roman Šebrle (CZE) • 2005 – 2006: Bryan Clay (USA) • 2007: Roman Šebrle (CZE) • 2008: Bryan Clay (USA) • 2009: Trey Hardee (USA) • 2010: Bryan Clay (USA)
Post-War British Olympic Champions in Men's Athletics - 1956: Chris Brasher (3000 m steeplechase)
- 1960: Don Thompson (50 km walk)
- 1964: Ken Matthews (20 km walk)
- 1964: Lynn Davies (long jump)
- 1968: David Hemery (400 m hurdles)
- 1980: Allan Wells (100 m)
- 1980: Steve Ovett (800 m)
- 1980 & 1984: Sebastian Coe (1500 m)
- 1980 & 1984: Daley Thompson (decathlon)
- 1992: Linford Christie (100 m)
- 2000: Jonathan Edwards (triple jump)
- 2004: Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish & Mark Lewis-Francis (4 x 100 m relay)
Records Preceded by
Bruce JennerMen's decathlon world record holder
15 May 1980 – 14 June 1980Succeeded by
Guido KratschmerPreceded by
Guido KratschmerMen's decathlon world record holder
23 May 1982 – 15 August 1982Succeeded by
Jürgen HingsenPreceded by
Jürgen HingsenMen's decathlon world record holder
8 September 1982 – 6 June 1983Succeeded by
Jürgen HingsenPreceded by
Jürgen HingsenMen's decathlon world record holder
9 August 1984 – 5 September 1992Succeeded by
Dan O'BrienAwards and achievements Preceded by
Ian BothamBBC Sports Personality of the Year
1982Succeeded by
Steve CramPreceded by
Sebastian CoeUnited Press International
Athlete of the Year
1982Succeeded by
Carl LewisCategories:- BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners
- English athletes
- Decathletes
- English people of Nigerian descent
- English people of Scottish descent
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
- Olympic gold medalists for Great Britain
- Mansfield Town F.C. players
- Stevenage F.C. players
- People from Worcester Park
- 1958 births
- Living people
- Olympic athletes of Great Britain
- Black English sportspeople
- Sportspeople from London
- Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
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