 Thompson at the 2012 Olympic Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Trinidad and Tobago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1985-06-07)7 June 1985 (age 40)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (180 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 100 metres,200 metres | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | LSU Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Richard "Torpedo" Thompson (born 7 June 1985)[3] is a Trinidadian sprinter who specializes in the100 metres. His personal best of 9.82 seconds, set in June 2014, was one of thetop ten fastest of all time, and a national record.[4][5] In the200 meters, he has the fourth fastest time by a Trinidad and Tobago athlete.[6]
Thompson studied atLouisiana State University (LSU) and broke theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) indoor 60 metres record in 2008, his final season of collegiate athletics.[7][8]
At the2008 Beijing Olympics, Thompson was thesilver medalist in the 100 meters, running a then personal best of 9.89 seconds, and the gold medalist in the 4 × 100 meters relay along withEmmanuel Callender,Keston Bledman andMarc Burns.[9] He also won the silver medal in the 4x100 meters at the2012 Olympics with the same team he competed in the 2008 Olympics with.[10][11][12] Also in the2012 Olympics, he finished 6th following the disqualification of Tyson Gay in thefinal of the 100 meters. Thompson is a five timeTrinidad and Tobago national champion.[13][14] His current personal best of 9.82 was set at the 2014 Trinidad and Tobago national championships.[15]
In 2017, fellow sprinter and2008 Olympic Games men's relay gold medalistNesta Carter was sanctioned by theInternational Olympic Committee for doping at the 2008 event, retroactively awarding the Trinidad and Tobago team which included Thompson Olympic Gold.
Born on 7 June 1985 in Cascade,Port of Spain, Thompson is the last of four children of Ruthven and Judith Thompson.[16] He attendedQueen's Royal College in Port of Spain where he was coached by Ashwin Creed.[17][18] He competed at the 2004 Hampton Games running a time of 10.65 in the 100 meters.[17]
He ran forLouisiana State University as a member of theLSU Tigers track and field team and setNCAA Indoor record in the60 metres in 2008. That year he won the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year Award and the SEC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year award.[19]
In his firstWorld Championships in Athletics inOsaka in 2007, Thompson reached the second round but finished eighth in a time of 10.44 seconds. His personal best time is 9.89 seconds, achieved in August 2008 inBeijing, China, during theOlympic 100 m final where he won silver.[20] Thompson's personal best for the200 metres is 20.18 s which ran inFayetteville forLSU. His60 metres best is 6.51 s, achieved in March 2008 inFayetteville. He won the relaygold medal at the2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships with Trinidad and Tobago.
In the2008 Summer Olympics, he competed in the 100 m sprint and placed first in his heat ahead ofMartial Mbandjock with a time of 10.24 s. He qualified for the second round, beatingTyson Gay and Mbandjock, with a winning time of 9.99 s. He qualified in the semi-finals with a time of 9.93 s, finishing second toAsafa Powell. In the final, he finished in second place; he was far behind winnerUsain Bolt (9.69 s) but his time of 9.89 s was enough to win the silver medal and set a new personal best. His new best time made him the second fastest Trinidadian 100 m sprinter ever, afterAto Boldon.[21]
Together withKeston Bledman,Aaron Armstrong andMarc Burns he also competed at the4 × 100 metres relay. In their qualification heat, they placed first in front of Japan, the Netherlands andBrazil. Their time of 38.26 s was the fastest of all sixteen teams participating in the first round and they qualified for the final. Armstrong was replaced byEmmanuel Callender for the final race and they sprinted to a time of 38.06 s, the second time after the Jamaican team, winning thesilver medal. In 2022, Thompson and his teammates received the gold medal due to Jamaica'sNesta Carter testing positive for the prohibited substancemethylhexaneamine.[22]
Thompson was involved in a car accident on 1 January 2009, resulting in minor injuries which caused him to miss the indoor athletics season.[23] He competed at the2009 World Championships in Athletics and reached the 100 m final, finishing in fifth place with a season's best of 9.93 seconds in fastest ever race at that point in time. He teamed up with fellow finalistMarc Burns for the relay and ran a national record time of 37.62 seconds to finish as runners-up behind the Jamaican team.[24]
He achieved a 100/200 m double at the 2010 national championships.[25] His season was highlighted by a win on the2010 IAAF Diamond League circuit, taking the 100 m at thePrefontaine Classic with a wind-assisted time of 9.89 seconds.[26] In August, Thompson broke thenational record with a run of 9.85 s at the 2011 national championships. The achievement, which ranked him ninth fastest in all-time lists, eclipsedAto Boldon's record by 0.01 seconds.[27] Despite this form, he failed to make the 100 m final at the2011 World Championships in Athletics, being eliminated in the semis, although he did anchor the relay team to fifth place in the final.
At the 2012 national championships, he had his win streak beaten byKeston Bledman and had to settle for second with his time of 9.96 seconds.[28]
In the 2012, 100 m Olympic final, he gained the distinction of becoming the first man to break ten seconds and finish in seventh place. However, upon the disqualification ofTyson Gay due to doping, Thompson was promoted to sixth place.
During the 2014 national championships, he won the finals, improving the national record with a run of 9.82 s, becoming one of the 10 fastest 100 m runners ever.[29]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Trinidad and Tobago | |||||
| 2006 | NACAC U-23 Championships | Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic | 5th | 100 m | 10.42(wind: +1.2 m/s) |
| — | 200 m | DQ | |||
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.98 | |||
| 2007 | NACAC Championships | San Salvador, El Salvador | 1st | 100 m | 10.32 |
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.92 | |||
| Pan American Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 4th (h) | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.02 | |
| World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 31st (h) | 100 m | 10.44 | |
| 2008 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Cali, Colombia | 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.54 |
| Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 2nd | 100 m | 9.89 | |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.06 | |||
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 5th | 100 m | 9.93 |
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 37.62 | |||
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 10th (sf) | 100 m | 10.20 |
| 6th | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.01 | |||
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, England | 7th | 100 m | 9.98 |
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.12 | |||
| 2014 | Commonwealth Games | Glasgow, Scotland | sf | 100 m | 10.19 |
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.10 | |||
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 40th (h) | 100 m | 10.29 |
| 6th (h) | 4 × 100 m relay | 37.961 | |||
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 13th (h) | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.63 |
1Disqualified in the final
| Date | Event | Venue | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 March 2008 | 60 metres | Fayetteville, United States | 6.51 |
| 21 June 2014 | 100 metres | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 9.82 |
| 30 May 2008 | 200 metres | Fayetteville, United States | 20.18 |
As of 24 September 2024, Thompson holds the following track records for100 metres.
| Location | Time | Windspeed m/s | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clermont,FL. | 9.74 | SEE BELOW | 31/05/2014 |
| Hengelo | 9.95 | +1.4 | 08/06/2014 |
| Lignano Sabbiadoro | 10.06 | –0.7 | 19/07/2011 |
| Port of Spain | 9.82 PB | +1.7 | 21/06/2014 |
